Do we really need Wills?

PasturesNew

beedeedee wrote: »

I will go and live abroad permanently. .... What are we missing?

The laws of the country you reside in might have a different take on things, so you'd need to check that.

And, just in case, somebody turns up at the doorstep 2 years after your husband's demise and says "he was my dad" .... and ... maybe ... it's true and he never knew. It was a one night stand on a holiday weekend, where the girl remembered his name/address etc ....

Will are so you know .... not because you think you know.

PasturesNew

In my family there was a £500k will about 10 years ago .... our blood relative died, her husband got the lot, he was old and died ... and his will left it to the gardener.

zagfles

DigForVictory wrote: »

For the peace of mind of having Wills in place & a clear path for son to follow when the time comes, I reckon £600 may be cheap. Especially if one of us is near terminal.

The whole intestacy palaver is a blimming rocky path compared to following a Will. Executors have an immediate status that family may not have for dealing with utilities etc, plus family grieving. Make it as easy on yourself as possible & nail the departures paperwork ahead of needing it.

£600 is not cheap. For people in straightforwards situations intestacy can be easier than having a will. I've helped deal with a couple of intestate estates and they were easy.

The thing that helps far more is having the funeral pre-paid, so relatives aren't having to make decisions on the type of funeral and how to pay for it.

Keep_pedalling

zagfles wrote: »

£600 is not cheap. For people in straightforwards situations intestacy can be easier than having a will. I've helped deal with a couple of intestate estates and they were easy.

The thing that helps far more is having the funeral pre-paid, so relatives aren't having to make decisions on the type of funeral and how to pay for it.

Might not be so easy when the deceased was living in a foreign contry.

DigForVictory

I know a family where their brother died intestate in two countries. A decent Will brings a load of peace of mind at a time when it can be hard come by.

Prepaid funeral - always a good start but the prices still sneak up. Been there, startled by that.

In what country were you think of having power of attorney?

zagfles

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

Might not be so easy when the deceased was living in a foreign contry.

Yes - was thinking of the OP's husband, rather then her.

beedeedee

Thanks once again for all your thoughtful replies. Some are not relevant to us, but hopefully may be of use to others. Hopefully my husband will be around for a while yet, living life to the full as we have always done! We simply felt that we were being persuaded into Wills that weren't the best for us at this time and that the solicitor was steering us away from what we wanted and not really listening to us. Thankyou again for your ideas and we will carefully consider your views.

dresdendave

DigForVictory wrote: »

I know a family where their brother died intestate in two countries.

Unless I'm misreading the above, the brother died in two countries?
As in he died whilst straddling the exact line of an international border?

Mojisola

dresdendave wrote: »

Unless I'm misreading the above, the brother died in two countries?
As in he died whilst straddling the exact line of an international border?

More likely that the brother had property/possessions in two countries but didn't have a will in either.

securityguy

As a general point, I would only refuse to be an executor if the testator were trying to do something utterly crazy. I don't quite hold YM's view that it's a sacred duty, but if someone asks you to be an executor, they are on the one hand asking you to do a lot of work, but on the other hand they are placing their faith in your probity and competence, and you should both respect and be honoured by that.

I would not get involved in an intestate estate unless I were the residual beneficiary and it was a large amount of money and it was obviously straightforward (essentially, unless it were my parents, who have regularly maintained wills anyway). If my hypothetical slightly dissolute brother were to die intestate leaving a small estate (I don't have a slightly dissolute brother) I wouldn't touch it, and anyone lower down the list of priority could have a crack were they so minded. In fact, were my hypothetical slightly dissolute brother to have hypothetical minor children I would probably still walk away, although it would be a harder decision. So the assumption that intestacy operates the same as a will is wrong in my view: stepping up to administer an intestate estate is "do I want to do work that the deceased couldn't be bothered to, for the benefit of relatives the deceased didn't care enough about to make a will?" to which the answer is, probably "No, I don't".