Grandads Will-Should he include Money for an 'Unborn/INVISIBLE grandchild' in the Will?Advise needed

AnotherJoe

someone said:

There may be a number of reasons why Son 3 is not married or has children. It would seem fair to pass on an amount equal to the amount given to the some with the fewest children. This also means the will can be dealt with rather promptly.

It's the individual people (grandkids in this case) that are getting the money and it only seems unfair if you group those people as a family.  

Lets say one son has 3 kids and another 1 and third none. Grandkids of first get (say) £100 each on their birthday. Should the  grandkid without siblings get £300 ? Should the son that has no children also get £300? 

I don't think many would think that fair yet apparently it is when it comes to inheritance  ? 

hjd

My great uncle died in 1951. He didn't have children of his own. His will left money to his great nieces and nephews (I don't know the exact details) but none of us had been born in 1951. There were 15 of us. They had to wait till no more were going to be born. I can't remember exactly when we received our legacies, but it was in the late 1980s.
That's a consequence of including as yet unborn children in a will. Fees for solicitors and managing the trust would have eaten into the funds.

Username03725

Isn't the reality that the grandchildren who knew their grandfather have a reasonable expectation of inheriting something, even if just a token amount, but those who never knew him have to accept that the old chap who they never knew had no real connection to them and that a small inheritance is unwarranted in this type of case.

Factor in the size of the bequest and things change. A small amount like £100 is neither here nor there in the long run, whereas a share of the house that might vary from a third to a quarter or less is a more significant amount that requires a thoughtful approach. I don't think this is one for amateur enthusiasts; legal opinion and solid financial advice is preferable.

RetSol

Whatever is decided, don't let grandad draft the will himself.  He is very unlikely to achieve what he wants by doing that.  Consulting a solicitor will help him clarify what he wants and will ensure that the will is effective.  There are plenty of low cost options for getting a solicitor to draft a will.  I used Will Aid but the MSE website has other suggestions 

wannabe_a_saver

I can't believe in all this discussion nobody has commented on how cool it would be to have an invisible child in the family! 

Savvy_Sue

wannabe_a_saver said:

I can't believe in all this discussion nobody has commented on how cool it would be to have an invisible child in the family! 

Apparently I often was! I'd disappear with a book, keep quiet and Mum would forget to call me to help with jobs. Eventually one of my siblings would ask why I wasn't helping ...

Bolt1234

Ditto re Grandad doing his own will.  I went to a retirement seminar a few years ago with a group of other collegues.  Half way through the session one of the group shared that his late Father had done his own will, it was his way of showing that he was still with it but he messed it up.  He literally went to WH Smith's did it himself and wouldnt show it to anyone.

After he passed they found it hadnt been done properly.  I think this sort of behaviour in older people is rife. My Father was planning to do his own until we stepped in and persuaded him to see a solicitor.  Even then he was nickle and diming them.  We said we wouldnt attend the meeting, he could leave his money to whomever he wanted but he needed to involve a professional.