MMD: Should Mrs Robinson leave all her cash to Simon or Garfunkel?

paulbrown

I advise everyone to watch a great film called "The Ultimate Gift", detailed on imdb here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482629/plotsummary

I do not know enough information to come to really answer this question, but I would probably make sure Simon is setup financially for the future e.g. pension, house etc.

Marisan

I know from personal experience how much bitterness can be caused by unequal sharing of assets. My mother divided her assets,after sale of property,equally between myself,my sibling and his three children.I have no children,so my share was one-fifth,and the other four-fifths went to my sibling and his family.As with Mrs R my sibling is in a much better paid job than me,and this is through no fault of mine,just ill-health and circumstances.
So,Mrs R,spend it all on yourself.It's your money,enjoy it.

Dorrie

It's a tough one, this. Thought it was straightforward, divide equally, but it really does depend on the circumstances. As people have said, why is Simon struggling? Is it his fault? Is he an addict, in a badly paid job, or just no good with money? If the lady is getting on a bit, then I assume the sons are middle-aged, not youngsters, but there is no information regarding family or where they live. I don't agree that Simon should automatically get the house as he doesn't have one (?) - after all, he must have had the same opportunities as his brother when he was younger. One of my sisters ended up in a council house when she got married because her husband had taken out a loan for a car (against the advise of our parents) shortly before they married and the mortgage company would not lend them the money, whereas my other sister and myself, who married at 19 and 18 respectively, bought property, what we could afford at the time, and have both owned our own property since. My eldest sister had the same opportunity as we did, but wasted it.

sue.b_2

I am in the same position as Mrs Robinson. I am spending my money as and when I want but under my will anything left when I die goes to both children equally. One of my children is doing better financially than the other but that is mainly due to his wife's high income. He and his sibling are in socially useful jobs and hence low paid. I feel that they might need the cushion of this money in case of marriage breakdown, serious injury, etc. Who knows what will happen in the future.

TescoMum

Wow! What a question!
I would always think that an equal split would be the only way!

Maybe if she hadn't helped Sinmon so much previosuly then he would have learned to be more self-sufficient and it wouldn't be such an issue?

Education is the greatest gift!

peace1967

The money should be split equally to avoid arguments & resentment.
My family situation is similar (with me being the less well off sibling) as I chose to go into the caring professions ie.nursing & then teaching whereas my sister married well, has a good job & her own house etc. She is also not as close to my parents as myself despite living in the same area, whereas I live over 300 miles away yet see them more regularly!! That aside, I know she would resent it if I was left more money & I would not expect this.
Ultimately though, I have told my parents that I would rather they spent any money on themselves & left us nothing. No amount of money would compensate for them not being around & I would rather know they enjoyed their remaining years. Love is priceless!

technoboy_2

MSE_Jenny wrote: »

Should Mrs Robinson leave all her cash to Simon?

Leave equal amounts to both. There is no telling what can befall either of her sons as life goes on. One who is rich now may not be in the future, he may have an accident, for example, and have to give up his work.
If she was to consider leaving disproportionate amounts she should only do so if she is absolutely sure, after private consultation with the son who is to receive less, that he is perfectly happy with that situation and actively wants that to happen. If he is not happy with that then equal shares MUST prevail. Would she really want the memory of her to be tarnished by leaving disproportionate amounts?

MJay

Split in half....... What would the other one think of her if she didn't........

skylight

She should do what she wants with it. Why should she split it equally? Its her money?

Are there any other family issues? Does she actually like her children? ONLY if everything is great and the kids get on and she loves them the same should she split it equally.

My Nan is having problems with my uncle over her will (he is a greedy b'std). Basically, she has 3 kids - 2 boys, 1 girl (my Mum). One boy has been written out - he gets nothing. He is a nasty individual (will not go into detail here) and has about 12 kids (about 11 mothers too). So, from his kids, Nan is leaving about £10k to just 2 of them (her grandkids) as there are only 2 she sees and not a penny to him.

The rest is being split equally between my Mum and other uncle. Now, its my other uncle here who is proving the greedy b'std. He went potty and told my Nan that he expected his daughters to get something too if 2 grandkids are. He has neglected to see that his half will eventually go to his kids when he passes on, but has made it clear he intends to spend his money on himself.

My opinion is that its her money. Do what she likes to it. Burn it for all I care. But to dictate to others what to do with your money is wrong. Do what you want with it. Leave it to the cats home. And it doesn't have to be equal. My 2nd uncle is in danger of getting nothing too at this rate!

liz_ferla

She should leave both an equal share. One son should not be penalised because he is making a success of his life, nor the other because he is not as shrewd as his brother!!!!!
Presume this is English law, as Scottish law states it doesnt matter what you want to do with your cash, there is specific laws about entitlements. This prevents people who will remain nameless from getting people to change their wills at the last minute leaving everything to a carer etc and leaving their family penniless. It has been done!!!!!!!