Stock markets, inheritance, i don't understand

The finances WERE properly managed. The parents lived comfortably well, as they had a house and money invested. Investing in this instance didn't reduce their quality of life, they didn't die paupers. Why on earth would the will need to be changed? The siblings haven’t LOST anything because it wasn’t theirs in the first place!

My father had assets in the stock market when he died.

we applied for probate and it was granted.

the people who inherit can choose whether to transfer the assets into their name or whether to liquidate them into cash.

at the moment, you like most of the rest of us with investments have seen their value go down.

it doesn’t mean you are down from when you bought them (although you might be) and you don’t actually have a loss until you sell them.

at the moment, your dad’s estate is in investments. When probate actually gets granted and you get to the point of distributing the assets (which you are not yet at) they can choose whether to take the investments or sell them for cash.

Were you the only attorney and did you act in their best interests?
What do the wills say, equal splits or specified amounts.
Who are the executors?
Were your siblings aware that you passed over financial decision making over to your husband without fully realising the implications of his actions?

I’m not a lawyer but my limited understanding is that a POA ends on death and that the executor/s of a will can be financially liable themselves if they don’t follow the correct actions with regards to estate finances and distribution to beneficiaries. Even if you don’t understand it makes sense to be as well informed as you can be, seek legal advice*, and follow the correct procedures.

*I hope greed and making money on the side did not come into it.

Another vote for you to look up the free Rebel Finance School course. They've just taken down their 2024 course and their next one starts in June.
Sorry but it's not helpful to say you're clueless. Get educated on finances or else you will be taken advantage of.

Can I point out that the inheritance did t belong to the OP or her siblings - so they haven’t lost anything! They have only gained. If their father had lived longer and needed residential care due to dementia, then the inheritance would have been further reduced.
As it is, the parents managed to earn and save enough money to ensure their children received what sounds like a decent handout, for which they should surely be grateful? The complaining that the DH somehow acted in a way that has now reduced that handout is grabby and distasteful to say the least.
”Poor us, we didn’t benefit as much from out parent’s deaths as we thought we would”

Op, 2 issues here. Who was the executor of the Will and is there funds to pay out the other beneficiaries from the house sale?

If your husband invested before your father died then that wasn't such a great decision as Trump's plan for tariffs was known since last year.

I am very sorry for your loss. However, I would be really angry with you at failing in your duty to properly manage their finances as part of your power of attorney. You had power of attorney, not your DH, so the duty lay with you. Are you also an executor? I would get professional advice, although it will cost, and apply for probate. In the mean time, you need good quality financial advice and you need to talk to your siblings. You can change the will with the agreement of all the beneficiaries, a deed of variation, so if the stock market doesn’t pick up you could offer to change the % in their favour to try to address their loss.

On the basis that the funds didn’t belong to the husband, and still don’t, it wasn’t his call. As the OP’s father was elderly and with dementia it was extremely unlikely that a long term investment strategy of accepting greater risk in the short term was appropriate.

The reference to ‘mumsplaining’ is bloody rude or do you think women who have borne children can’t wrap their heads round investing.

My mother died in 2024 and father this March

OP, You are going to get a lot of people with limited financial knowledge coming to this thread to ‘mumsplain’ their perceived knowledge to you.

The key thing to establish is whether the funds were supposed to be accessible or a longer term investment to be assessed when the market is performing. If it’s the format your husband has acted recklessly.

I’m not sure the OPs father will bother - he died in March!

It makes no difference, unless your DH is an advisor to Trump there's nothing he could have done.

He made a totally reasonable decision based on the information available to him at the time.

Everyone and everything is down, it would have gone down even if it was the safest lowest risk investment in the world. Look at how much has been wiped off pensions.

I agree to sit tight and wait it out.

Do you need to sell now? If not why are you panicking?

Just sit tight for now. Let things play out.

Wow - rude

Wow, if I was your sibling I'd be furious! Do your siblings know that your husband took this approach with your parents savings? Why didn't you stop him?

It may be useful to get your head around as much of the basics as possible to do with finance / investing etc etc then you are not dealing with things ' blind ' so to speak or paying people when there is no need. Or letting other people take a gamble with your money.....
Moneysavingexpert.com is a very good place to learn about things and pick up tips.

I think you need a multi step plan.
1stly don't panic and sell, you have only lost money if you actually cash out. However understanding when you and your siblings need the money is important. If it's next week it's a problem, if it's 6/12 months there is some recovery time, based on the timescale you might need a schedule of transfers/sales to minimise the impact of the market dip.

You (and your siblings) need to learn some basic financial literacy, take a look at the Rebel Finance School on FB. It'll help (I'm not affiliated with them).

Nobody (including your husband) should make risky decisions on other peoples finances without their consent. I think you all need to get together and understand what the art of the possible is if they/you need access to the funds in the short term.

Good luck

There isn't anything else really. I haven't even looked at my pension pot. I am just going to wait and see what next week brings.

Me too. No wonder so many men treat women as simpletons when they duck responsibility by claiming to be ‘clueless’ about something. I’m sure the OP’s parents weren’t expecting the OP to be a financial genius, but making no effort to understand or be involved when you have accepted the role of POA for financial affairs is inexcusable. And your husband being a lawyer in finance doesn’t make him a financial expert, either.

If you have to cash it in now at a lower rate you can also buy new less risky investments cheaper as well. You'll only lose out if you need the cash.
I am in same position with my mothers investments- we were due to cash in in a month or so. My DB wants the money but I'll be reinvesting and won't particularly lose out as everything is down.

A useful comment from someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

If it's a high risk portfolio it might even end up doing very well in the current circumstances.

I'm sorry OP . I don't think your OH has managed this very well. In my opinion he should have gone with your wishes to put it in low risk or even balanced risk. If he put it on high risk, he should have been keeping more of an eye on it. We all knew the tariffs announcement was coming up and it wasn't goingbto be good news so he should have transferred to bonds or cash. I hope it all comes good again 🙏

Maybe that’s why they’ve plunged -everybody selling out to avoid it 😂

I don't understand ... you knew your husband had invested their money in high risk shares not the lower risk ones they preferred.

You said nothing but now it's 100% his fault that the shares have gone down?