The Retirement Thread

[ebikeerwidnes]

Morning, polling day for me, may the best man/woman win

Yeah right!

 

[Elybazza61]

Yesterday afternoon was spent mooching about town and getting a good gardening book at our local indy bookshop, then down to the micro pub /tap for a few beers and then chips afterwards.
Three Blind Mice Old Brown Mouse and Milkworm;

Today was up to the market and a small bit of shopping and thrifting; got eggs and rolls plus some bargain crumpets at B&M.Plus the better half got some White Stuff trousers and a Community Clothing top for less than £15 the pair.

Afternoon has been more seed sowing (Rocket and Sweet Williams) and a bit of typing and dead heading.

Still no rain even though it's been overcast since lunchtime.

 

[screenman]

is that a deconstructed sausage???

Beat me to that line.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Beat me to that line.

How is life treating you these days? Things looking up?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Strange that, about your driving licences not being enough. I was excecutor to my late father`s will. I had to verify who I was, with both his bank and the solicitor. As well as photo id ( driving licence) they needed a current utility bill as well. Both were accepted. Sometimes I think that these bodies make things up as they go along, that is why there is no consistency. My father`s will was purchased from a stationery shop, filled in and witnessed. Mind you, what the solicitor charged for the discharge of the will was eye watering, in my mind. It was an easy 50/50 split.

We have just started to sort out our wills and all that. We have to prove our ID and I worry about my wife doing that as she only has a paper driving license and a passport
If she ever gives up the passport she could have trouble
I own the house (clearly it is hers as well as we are married and all that) and I pay all the bills and she is not on the counsel tax

we will have to do something about all that - if I die first she could have problems proving she has been annoying me for years are married and she is my wife


I do remember when my dad died ( quite a while ago) and the solicitor needed proof of id
and one of the few things I could get was an online bank statement
I printed it off and that was fine

when the appointment was over we were chatting and I asked why the printed bank statement was OK - and showed her a version I had modified (I worked in IT!) with a massive balance and a different name - but otherwise the same

She was rather shocked - but said that the regulations were clear (at the time) that it was OK as it was.

That has been tightened up now - but it is getting very difficult if you are not a "standard person"

 

[screenman]

How is life treating you these days? Things looking up?

Quite bright to be honest, a new lady in life is a ray of sunshine, Justine lost her husband over 3 years ago so we both understand each other, living in Liverpool but I still own the house in Lincoln. Thanks for asking.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Right - back to why I cameon here

strange day

I was supposed to be taking the car into the Main Dealer for the cam belt to be changed
and my "boss" was to pick me up there and we would go to a client in Warrington

but the client rang yesterday and said she was ill - so we were to ring at 9 to check if the appointment was on or not

anyway - it was off so I was stuck in Warrington

SO I needed anotehr way home

Now - me being me I had plan B - the bus
I knew that I could get bus 110 froma stop a few hundred yeards away
but I had no idea how to pay

anyway - I waited and the bus came - turns out that you can pay by card - no problem
wish the website said that ratehr than just showing a million different types of passes that are great if you use them every day


anyway

I GOT A BUS!!!

first time for a few decades!!

so on the way home I had to go through Widnes Market
so I stopped in the One Stop Shop and applied for my OAP bus pass

they seemed very impressed about me being prepared and having everything I need
I don;t think I was very prepared - I just think their normal visitor are very unprepared!!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

We have just started to sort out our wills and all that. We have to prove our ID and I worry about my wife doing that as she only has a paper driving license and a passport
If she ever gives up the passport she could have trouble
I own the house (clearly it is hers as well as we are married and all that) and I pay all the bills and she is not on the counsel tax

we will have to do something about all that - if I die first she could have problems proving she has been annoying me for years are married and she is my wife


I do remember when my dad died ( quite a while ago) and the solicitor needed proof of id
and one of the few things I could get was an online bank statement
I printed it off and that was fine

when the appointment was over we were chatting and I asked why the printed bank statement was OK - and showed her a version I had modified (I worked in IT!) with a massive balance and a different name - but otherwise the same

She was rather shocked - but said that the regulations were clear (at the time) that it was OK as it was.

That has been tightened up now - but it is getting very difficult if you are not a "standard person"

Re Wills - the bigger problems with people with previous marriage partners and children is who can have a claim on your estate (house, pensions, belongings, etc). It is not always as simple as it might appear. Especially so if you both died at the same time - the net potentially widens considerably.

Wills are easily worth the money that they cost - 2 mirror Wills for us were £660 inc' VAT recently. The Solicitors do nicely out of it but very definitely worth the peace-of-mind that they bring.

LPA's can be overly expensive but these are relatively easy to do yourself, imo.