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Original poster

Stock markets, inheritance, i don't understand

258 replies

Vlinty · 05/04/2025 10:55

My mother died in 2024 and father this March. Years before they had made me power of attorney (because my husband works in finance he is a lawyer, so could help me. I am clueless and they knew this.)

After mum died, my DH took over, because my dad had dementia.

He changed a lot of their funds over to higher risk , their financial advisor told me they had always wanted low risk.

We sold the house and dh got me to invest with another fund manager. Take the money out of ns&I as well.

So some money with new advisor, some with old advisor but all higher risk than my parents had it

Now this morning he has told me that everything is down 25%.... obviously because the markets have plummeted following trump's tariffs.

I am so distraught, I have 2 siblings who will want their share of the money. I'm really angry with dh and he now won't talk to mr because I'm panicking and he won't help me - just says I won't listen. When it is him who will not answer a straight question.

Please help me calm down.

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 07/04/2025 10:59

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:45

Why on earth would your husband change the investments of the elderly from low risk to high. High risk investments are for people with long term investing timeframes not short term. You always go closer to low risk investment vehicles as you age. Sounds like your husband was investing as if it was his money. Can you siblings hold out for a few years as the markets will stabilise, they always do.

Or maybe he was investing as it it was OP's and siblings' money.

endofthelinefinally · 07/04/2025 10:57

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:46

They have misinformed you. The value does not remain static.

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I may be wrong, but I think it might depend on whether the shares were transferred into her name? I think proper financial advice is in order.

Original poster
Vlinty · 07/04/2025 10:52

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 09:42

My husband died years ago. One thing i never got round to was cashing in some shares. I didn't realise they were there until a couple of years later. Not loads. Not enough to make a difference. I eventually contacted the trading company and they told me the value on the day he died which is what I'd get if i cashed them in. It's not a lot of money and I've just never got round to it.

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Is this true?

OP posts:
CuriousQuestioningGal · 07/04/2025 10:13

Hi @Vlinty I’m sorry this has happened and I know very little but there seems to be good advice here. A former colleague has a podcast and a book about simplifying investing that you might want to listen to / read. It’s called ‘the sloth investor’ by RP Stevens. I’ve not read it yet but it’s on my list! Might be helpful in understanding the markets. I have no financial interest in this but thought it might help. Good luck. X

JHound · 07/04/2025 10:10

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 07/04/2025 09:55

well maybe they asked for that as they knew they no longer needed the money so instead would be passed down and therefore was effectively no longer for them.
And again they are not high risk but low/medium risk.

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Did you not read OP?

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 10:02

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 09:42

My husband died years ago. One thing i never got round to was cashing in some shares. I didn't realise they were there until a couple of years later. Not loads. Not enough to make a difference. I eventually contacted the trading company and they told me the value on the day he died which is what I'd get if i cashed them in. It's not a lot of money and I've just never got round to it.

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You have been badly misinformed. If you sell shares you get the value they are at on the day you sell them.

Don't panic and sell right now though. Wait until markets start to recover. And then some. You've managed without so far.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 07/04/2025 09:55

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:45

Why on earth would your husband change the investments of the elderly from low risk to high. High risk investments are for people with long term investing timeframes not short term. You always go closer to low risk investment vehicles as you age. Sounds like your husband was investing as if it was his money. Can you siblings hold out for a few years as the markets will stabilise, they always do.

well maybe they asked for that as they knew they no longer needed the money so instead would be passed down and therefore was effectively no longer for them.
And again they are not high risk but low/medium risk.

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:49

caringcarer · 06/04/2025 22:32

If they've reinvested the money away from safe investment like gilts it will have lost money over last week. My pension is down ££4k in 3 days.

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The loss only crystallises when they sell. I “lost” a lot on my super, pension and share portfolio when Covid hit. The value is back up now. No loss to report

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 09:47

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:46

They have misinformed you. The value does not remain static.

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Thanks
I might just dig the forms out on the back of this.

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:47

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 09:14

Several of us are saying this. It is good sense.

OP doesn't seem to be listening, or isn't acknowledging that her panic was ill informed and wrong. Others (equally ill informed and clueless) are suggesting that the siblings might be as poor as church mice and so investments should be sold now with OP's DH paying compensation for the losses.

Now is not the time to sell. Now is the time to sit tight, ride it out and buy more at the cheaper rates if you possibly can.

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Exactly this. They should transfer ownership of the shares and then hold until the value increases again.

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:46

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 09:42

My husband died years ago. One thing i never got round to was cashing in some shares. I didn't realise they were there until a couple of years later. Not loads. Not enough to make a difference. I eventually contacted the trading company and they told me the value on the day he died which is what I'd get if i cashed them in. It's not a lot of money and I've just never got round to it.

Show quote history

They have misinformed you. The value does not remain static.

JHound · 07/04/2025 09:45

Why on earth would your husband change the investments of the elderly from low risk to high. High risk investments are for people with long term investing timeframes not short term. You always go closer to low risk investment vehicles as you age. Sounds like your husband was investing as if it was his money. Can you siblings hold out for a few years as the markets will stabilise, they always do.

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 09:42

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 08:21

They can't be frozen. You can quote what the value was on the date of death but the markets don't freeze. They continue to go up or down and so will the value of the shares.

Show quote history

My husband died years ago. One thing i never got round to was cashing in some shares. I didn't realise they were there until a couple of years later. Not loads. Not enough to make a difference. I eventually contacted the trading company and they told me the value on the day he died which is what I'd get if i cashed them in. It's not a lot of money and I've just never got round to it.

Swiftie1878 · 07/04/2025 09:19

Julen7 · 07/04/2025 09:17

A decade oh God I hope it doesn’t take that long!

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Think about the poor buggers who are just about to retire and all their pension investments are being cashed in!

Julen7 · 07/04/2025 09:17

RatedDoingMagic · 05/04/2025 11:17

Everything has gone down. Don't panic. Unless you need to liquidise the assets right now, there's no real effect, everything will be back up again in a decade. Sit tight.

A decade oh God I hope it doesn’t take that long!

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 09:14

Swiftie1878 · 07/04/2025 09:06

Your brothers can take the cash if they want to. You transfer their portion of the shares and they can cash them in whenever they wish.

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Several of us are saying this. It is good sense.

OP doesn't seem to be listening, or isn't acknowledging that her panic was ill informed and wrong. Others (equally ill informed and clueless) are suggesting that the siblings might be as poor as church mice and so investments should be sold now with OP's DH paying compensation for the losses.

Now is not the time to sell. Now is the time to sit tight, ride it out and buy more at the cheaper rates if you possibly can.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 07/04/2025 09:10

endofthelinefinally · 07/04/2025 08:47

I am coming round to this view as well.
Initially OP didn't say that her parents had asked her DH to manage the investments.
Nobody should take an inheritance for granted. Everyone knows that investments can go up or down.
Everyone has lost in the current crash. OP's DH can't be blamed for that. OP's parents asked him to manage their investments and OP and siblings didn't educate themselves or take an interest. He made some high risk investments that might still come good, or they might not. I doubt he deliberately set out to lose money.
They just need to get together all the documents and speak to an independent financial advisor.

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Fully agree, she also later clarified that they weren’t high risk just higher risk but still low/medium.

Swiftie1878 · 07/04/2025 09:06

Vlinty · 05/04/2025 22:03

I know i think we were planning to pay sone mortgage off and my brothers also wanted cash

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Your brothers can take the cash if they want to. You transfer their portion of the shares and they can cash them in whenever they wish.

endofthelinefinally · 07/04/2025 08:47

Topseyt123 · 06/04/2025 10:54

@SophieAnt Exactly.

I am absolutely seeing why OP's parents asked her husband to manage their finances. OP is a panicker and has no clue, and maybe the other siblings are similar.

I agree with you too that now is a time to actually buy stocks and shares if you can even if there might yet be further to fall. Buy while the units are relatively cheap. Take a longer term view and then sell when they have risen. It's not rocket science but you need to hold your nerve and people do panic far too easily.

I feel a bit sorry for OP's DH. He did what was asked of him by her parents and did nothing wrong but now he is incurring her badly misplaced wrath.

Edited

I am coming round to this view as well.
Initially OP didn't say that her parents had asked her DH to manage the investments.
Nobody should take an inheritance for granted. Everyone knows that investments can go up or down.
Everyone has lost in the current crash. OP's DH can't be blamed for that. OP's parents asked him to manage their investments and OP and siblings didn't educate themselves or take an interest. He made some high risk investments that might still come good, or they might not. I doubt he deliberately set out to lose money.
They just need to get together all the documents and speak to an independent financial advisor.

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 08:21

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 06:24

Not sold. I mean the value frozen

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They can't be frozen. You can quote what the value was on the date of death but the markets don't freeze. They continue to go up or down and so will the value of the shares.

LittleBearPad · 07/04/2025 08:16

OP I hope you’ve told your siblings as in the short and possibly medium term it only going to get worse.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 07/04/2025 07:35

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 06:42

Found this on a solicitor website

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You value them for inheritance tax purposes on the date of death but the value of the shares continues to change. They are on a quoted market.

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 06:42

Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 06:24

Not sold. I mean the value frozen

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Found this on a solicitor website

Stock markets, inheritance, i don't understand
Cosyblankets · 07/04/2025 06:24

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 06/04/2025 22:22

No they aren’t sold on the day he dies

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Not sold. I mean the value frozen

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 07/04/2025 02:46

caringcarer · 06/04/2025 23:15

Over the last month investment has gone down.

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And before that