If you have made a will, do you have anything unusual in it?

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I have to make a will - mine was previously a mirror of my STBXH but now I need to make one in my own right.

My solicitor has sent me a form which seems to be very “I leave the lot to the kids” but I’m now wondering about special instructions - I have some nice furniture I’d like to leave to my friend, and what to do with my jewellery etc?
Or should I keep it simple and leave it all to the kids?

@35andThriving

I hope your mum's pulling your leg, intheenddoesitreallymatter!

I wish she was! It’s there in black and white and no cajoling will dissuade her. We even suggested the NSPCC or something that helps people but she’s all about the dogs!

I've asked for no funeral because I loathe funerals. I want to be just cremated with no service.
I've asked my ashes to be mixed with and scattered together with the ashes of my beautiful 20 year old cat that I loved so much in one of my favourite places in the countryside.

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

I've asked for no funeral because I loathe funerals. I want to be just cremated with no service. I've asked my ashes to be mixed with and scattered together with the ashes of my beautiful 20 year old cat that I loved so much in one of my favourite places in the countryside.

Love this.

In my letter of wishes I have left instructions that on no account can my executors use the crappy undertaker I stupidly chose for my husband's funeral.

NO after death grudges here, I'm an aaaaaangel

Surely someone has to certify that you were dead anyway. It's not going to be, well they haven't moved a while so we'll just shuffle them downstairs 👋

We have just updated our wills, DH & I all assets to surviving partner, should we die together, split between our children equally, if one of our children pass away, their share goes to any of their surviving children equally. Should the worse happen & we are all wiped out spilt between nieces, nephews and two charities that we hold dear. Our wills be held in our solicitors strong room until the day comes. So we can forget about it now, but at least our children won’t experience hassle of their parents dying intestate. Everyone should have a legally binding will.

I would be as specific as you can be. Mentally walk through your home and belongings and write them all down and who you would want to leave them to.

Do not rely on anyone doing the right thing. I was left totally shocked by the behaviour of relatives despite a will being kind, thoughtful, fair, generous and specific. As a result my will is very very specific.

I also know that I will regularly review my will and update it as life events happen.

Also consider of your executor(a) should be younger generation, rather than peers.

I’ve left bequest of jewellery. That said I’ve also got written into my will what’s to happen if our family unit, god forbid all go at once, to my half of the estate.

DH is happy for his to go automatically to family on his side. I am not.

@Smallredclip

I have to make a will - mine was previously a mirror of my STBXH but now I need to make one in my own right.

My solicitor has sent me a form which seems to be very “I leave the lot to the kids” but I’m now wondering about special instructions - I have some nice furniture I’d like to leave to my friend, and what to do with my jewellery etc?
Or should I keep it simple and leave it all to the kids?

Just do a letter of wishes for the furniture and specific items and keep it stored with the will.

I work in wills and probate so have seen dozens of wills. Nothing really unusual comes to mind but a surprising amount of disinherited children (with accompanying explanatory letters).

Yes I do, but I can't tell you what it is because it would be outing

Oh no, intheenddoesitreallymatter. There's not a lot I can say to that really. As least she forewarned you I suppose.

@extravirginoliveoil

I’ve left bequest of jewellery. That said I’ve also got written into my will what’s to happen if our family unit, god forbid all go at once, to my half of the estate.

DH is happy for his to go automatically to family on his side. I am not.

Mine & DH's state that if our family unit dies, our estate is to be split 3 ways. A third to each to his siblings and the other third to be split between my nephew & niece. Simply because i don't trust my sibling with money!

Worth thinking about if married; having a trust so that if one spouse dies the money / house goes into trust until the second person dies, then the total is left to the children.

I know of two people who were left out of their parents’ wills when they re-married. If one of you dies at 40 then the remaining spouse has a lot of time to remarry.

I’m happier knowing that whatever happens when I die, my children will get all of my share eventually.

I work in wills and probate so have seen dozens of wills. Nothing really unusual comes to mind but a surprising amount of disinherited children (with accompanying explanatory letters).
What are common reasons for disinheriting children?

I live in a country where 50% of all belongings automatically go to the children of the deceased. I have often wondered how many people go to the trouble of giving things away before they die so that their children don't get them!

As my parents live with us in a granny annexe I have written in my mine about provision for them if he wanted them to leave should I die before them. Essentially my DH would need to pay them a third of my life insurance policy so they could buy somewhere else. DH was most put out that I thought he’d kick them out! But if I died tmrw he may meet someone else and they may not be thrilled at the idea of his dead wife’s parents still living there.

We all have living wills too which I think are essential.

@30degreesandmeltinghere

My dc are arguing over who won't get my ddogs. None of them want them!!.

You could leave everything TO the DDogs!

I have a large dolls house, miniature buildings and enough crafting items to restock Hobbycraft. My niece will benefit from those as I don't have children and she is my only niece. For a laugh I may leave her my postcard collection. I've asked her over the years, she's 10, if she would like to look at them only to be met with scorn and a "no thanks". I may attach a request that she cannot dispose of them and has to have them displayed forever .

I want the theme to Animal Magic played at my funeral.

I've stated that If I die whilst the children are still young that money from my estate is ear marked to take them to Disneyworld and also Lapland.

I've also said that I'd like to be cremated and popped into a bio-urn and planted with a sapling. 😁

@ShockOche

Weirdest things I’ve seen in a Will (in a professional capacity)

1. A requirement that a doctor severs their jugular vein with a scalpel to ensure they are actually dead before they are buried

1. Ashes to be scattered at famous football ground (significantly less weird than 1!)

Oooo number 1 is a good idea!

Not me but my DM. She divided all her goods between the three siblings.
Only problem was that Dsis got to her house first and stole all the gold and silver.
Then didn't come to the funeral.
Still NC after 10 years

Regarding making sure one is actually dead, it was custom when someone died at sea to stitch them into shroud before the water burial. The last stitch went through the nose to ensure the person was actually dead!

My will (and death in service pension payment) leaves my estate an equal split between my parents and siblings. My jewellery goes to my sister and my comic collection to my brother. When I spilt from XP, I changed my will pretty quickly as I would have hated to bite the dust the day after the dumping only for him to be quids in!

A patient left me all her jewelry in her will. I had to check with the Trust and a solicitor to ensure this was OK. I kept it in a box on top of my wardrobe in case a relative contacted me but nobody ever has. I had it valued for insurance purposes and its now stored safety in the vault of my local bank. I really don’t know what to do it with it.

I remember that my godmother wrote on the bottom of every gift who gave it to her, because she wanted them to have it back after she died. I don't know if it was actually written in a will, but my family knew so I suppose that hers did too.

I was really looking forward to getting back my Airfix model of Napoleon Bonaparte that I made and gave 20 years before. But they ignored the wish .

At my old school, one James St. Amand left a large bequest in the 1750s. But the condition attached to it was that at every annual meeting of the school governors a miniature painting of James was produced for the assembled governors to view and an extract of his will was read out loud. The procedure is followed to this day!

If I die first, my half of the house goes to my children, but my husband can live in it until he chooses otherwise. If my husband remarries, his new wife only has “rights” to his half. My husbands will mirrors mine!