I've just prepared my will

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rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
I’ve got now't to leave
That's handy cos you probably don't have anyone to leave it to:whistle:
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
We did ours after our son was born, as we were quite adamant about who should not care for him if we both died...

Yup, I think we did the will before they were 1. It tends to focus the mind a bit. Now they are 20 we're just looking to redo things.

I think we do something like a main Will and then a letter of intent (or something like that) and the latter decides where incidental stuff (like bikes) should go. Doing it that way means you can change the letter whenever you fancy without having to go through the rigmarole of changing and witnessing the Will.

I've been through the probate process twice, first time via solicitors and it was a pain, the second time I did it all myself as executor. Again I would stipulate that this is far easier for non-complex scenarios but the process was far easier than I expected.

Been through probate once for my mother who died intestate. It was a horrible enough process that I now berate any parents I come across that mention not writing one. There was an awful lot of 'guessing her mind' as her sister and the man she'd been living with for 15 or so years both had views on what should happen to what. Don't presume 'it'll just be fine' and leave it.
 

young Ed

Veteran
Precisely. It would just go to your parents to deal with

Can I have the sheep, fantastic beasts! :wub:
well you won't want mine when you see them, bloody horrible things! all sheep are come to that! you will never be able to catch them and they WILL escape and they will fall down dead from one second to the next. THEY ARE SHEEP!

i know my parents have proper wills set up, and i am fairly sure who would care for me if they were to go whilst i am still living with them. i think it's my aunt and uncle with 3 other younger kids. what i occasionally wonder though is where my dads 13 acre estate and houses on it etc will go and where all his motorcycles and tools/machines will go, seriously though i do wonder from time to time who's they will be.
and i am fairly sure i know where it is, i think i came across the envelope it is in a few years back when i was searching for some oil for the chainsaw, or was it welding stuff? :tongue: anyway i can say if it is where i think it is it is fire, theft and water proof :smile:
Cheers Ed
 

biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
our need to be re done , we keep putting it off but we both understand the importance of doing it .

we asked the kids if there was anything any of them wanted and they just laughed
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
Well done @vickster I did mine years ago, really need to make a new one because I've acquired more stuff now, also there are less people to leave it too :sad:
 

Levo-Lon

Guru
I did mine through Barclays premier acc..£50 and I pay £1 a year for it to be kept in a secure safe?..lol but I have a copy..good idea to have a will as life is ..a box of chocolates...
 
OP
OP
vickster

vickster

Legendary Member
Well done @vickster I did mine years ago, really need to make a new one because I've acquired more stuff now, also there are less people to leave it too :sad:
I didn't worry about much of the stuff. My lucky brother or whoever can deal with the contents of the house. I have the bikes, a car and a reasonably valuable watch (in need of a new battery :whistle: ). It was I guess that, a dozen cash gifts and the residual estate to brother

I need to get it witnessed, two folk from work will do it I'm sure. Fairly simple, couple of hours work if that
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
I need to get it witnessed, two folk from work will do it I'm sure. Fairly simple, couple of hours work if that
I think engaging a lawyer for the will and to be your executive would take the strain off your brother.
 
OP
OP
vickster

vickster

Legendary Member
I think engaging a lawyer for the will and to be your executive would take the strain off your brother.
Oh yes I have two friends who agreed to be executors. Don't need lawyers to do. My brother is older than me, so potentially none will fall to him. If not, he gets everything other than the cash, bikes and watch. I've left him the car, or whatever car I happen to have
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
I think engaging a lawyer for the will and to be your executive would take the strain off your brother.

The easiest, and arguably best course is to appoint whoever's getting the lion's share to be executor(s). It is then perfectly OK for them to pay a lawyer to sort it out paid for out of the estate if it's onerous. If you appoint a lawyer to be the executor, you've handed over control to someone who can then charge what he likes out the estate - with no one supervising or able to sack them if they're doing a poor job or taking the piss.
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
The easiest, and arguably best course is to appoint whoever's getting the lion's share to be executor(s). It is then perfectly OK for them to pay a lawyer to sort it out paid for out of the estate if it's onerous. If you appoint a lawyer to be the executor, you've handed over control to someone who can then charge what he likes out the estate - with no one supervising or able to sack them if they're doing a poor job or taking the mickey.
Well, the lawyer should have a fee chart that you could look at and periodically review in line with the complication of your affairs.
Also employing a lawyer would avoid family squabbling over money, makes things simpler for family living abroad, no out of the blue demands from the taxman either.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Well, the lawyer should have a fee chart that you could look at and periodically review in line with the complication of your affairs.
Also employing a lawyer would avoid family squabbling over money, makes things simpler for family living abroad, no out of the blue demands from the taxman either.

yebbutt... there's nothing to stop the executor (family member?) sub-contracting the work to the lawyer. But giving complete control to a firm of lawyers in the will? No thank you. Bear in mind the friendly family solicitor originally envisages at will-writing time could have long retired or died when the time comes.
 
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