if you don’t have children, who / what are you leaving your assets to in your will ?

[workwoes123]

DH and I have two children, first / only marriage for each of us. Our wills are very simple mirror wills leaving everything to each other in the first instance, then to be shared equally between our children.

If you and your partner (if you have one) don’t have children, who or what are you leaving your assets to ?

I’m mostly asking out of nosiness (as this is an anonymous forum) but also as we have this situation in our family and I’m interested what other people have done.

My sister. And if I she goes first her two children.

A small amount to family.

Then my share goes for scholarships at the university I attended - particularly for sciences and to support students studying abroad (following our withdrawal from Erasmus).

My DW is leaving her share to charities identified by the Centre for Effective Altruism (IIRC).

Our wills are written in such a way that money held on trust on the death of the first (can be used by the survivor of needed, e.g. for care costs) but then any remainder will be disbursed in line with the original wishes.

Oh and some to some small local charities that mean something to each of us - e.g. the local cat rescue from which we obtained our cats, and the educational charity that supported the travel for my DofE Gold expedition.

This is really interesting - dh and I have 5 siblings between us none of whom have kids. I’ve no idea what they’re planning to do with their money but they’re all fairly well off and it could mean our DC inheriting an obscene amount of money which I’m not sure I’m comfortable with. Not really a subject I feel I can raise though 😱

We have children but in case we all go together then 50% goes to my sil and my 50% is shared between my 5 nieces and nephew.

Longterm care permitting, I'm leaving a nest-egg to my DSC, slightly more to my DNs and godchildren, and the rest split between charities. I'd like to do something specific like funding wigs for the Little Princess Trust, or a trust to allow a vet nurse to volunteer overseas for a year, or similar.

Wills are interesting, though - I researched a lot of family ones and the childless/unmarried wills are often fascinatingly detailed in their dispersal of a life's possessions and interests.

I was thinking about this sort of situation the other day. DH and I have 2DC and mirror wills with the money going to each other and then the DC. However, with young children, we naturally spend a lot of time together and, if there was to be some sort of accident involving one of us, it might well be the sort of thing which involves and kills all of us.
At the moment, that would mean our estate being split between our siblings. We're not particular close to these siblings and they appear to be fairly comfortable financially.
I think a local hospice or similar could benefit much more from the money. Or the local park where the DC have had hours of fun and which seems to be fun by some private organisation rather than the council. Or just pick a few friends for whom a few grand would make a real difference.

I sometimes think of what I'd do if I had no DC's. (I have no siblings so no nieces/ nephews either)

Some to small local charities. Not to big ones with CEOs on big pay!

I have 2 1st cousins once removed. I'd give them enough for house deposits/ cars.

I have friends and friends' DC'S that I'd give a thousand here and there to.

I'd also like a bench somewhere!

And a burial not a cremation.

I have 3 DC from first marriage. DH has none but helped me raise my DC. If I die first our house and 2 btl go to DH plus 1/2 my private pension for life. Each of my 3 children will get 1 btl each and my shares. 1 btl will go to foster son and remaining one sold and some money to nieces and nephews. When DH dies if after me he is splitting between my 3 DC and his favourite niece. He will give other 2 nieces a smaller amount. If DH dies before me he will leave favourite niece £50k, other 2 nieces £10k each and rest to me to share with my DC and foster son. We have a French holiday home to be administered by my dd but any family can stay their free. If it is let out for 3 summer holiday weeks each year that will cover taxes.

And aunt of mine died 30 or 40 years ago and she had a house which she left to someone and she had £30,000 in the bank. She gave £1000 each to 30 of her friends and distant relatives. I saw her will and I got the impression she'd really enjoyed writing it! She gave a reason for why each one got that thousand pounds.

My brother and his wife have no children and have generously willed everything to my 2 children (their niece and newphew)

However nobody knows that the future holds and what care people may need it could all be pie in the sky if it goes to a care home and I know they plan to downsize when they retire and do some travelling so it'll
Be a Case of whatever is left really

My mums friend left everything to charity to the local hospice who helped care for her including her house which they rent and it provided a mo they Income to the hospice

I've realised I've actually had this conversation with quite a few single / childless friends! I don't know why it's come up in conversation but anyway.

Friend 1 (ex colleague) is leaving everything to her nieces and nephew.

Friend 2 (elderly, now in a care home): leaving 2 small amounts to her godchildren, the rest to a local hospice.

Aunt (died recently): left everything to her sister (my mum), nothing to her brother. That caused a stir.

Friend 3: says she's left everything to charity - hasn't said which ones but she's an animal lover so I assume likely that.

Mum's friend, died a few years ago: she gave away most of her possessions to people she knew - even I got something, her sewing machine - before going into a care home. When she died the proceeds of her house went to her godson.

DP childless aunt is leaving half to our future children (not yet actually had) and half to charities. If we do not have children within X years of her death it all goes to the charities.

Probably no-one as our assets will finish up paying for care home fees. I thought Johnson was supposed to have solved the care fees problem but it seems he didn't. What a surprise.

Morbidly, I love this! Nothing shallow re looking after yourself.

I will likely have no family to leave anything to. So my plan is fairly similar. Will release equity if needed to help fund my retirement. What’s left of my “estate” will be split between the children of 2 friends and animal charities. Am waiting to see how the kids turn out before I decide % splits 🤣 (kind of joking).

Nieces and nephews

My DH. If he dies before me, my nephew.

At present my father and my ex-husband. Presumably my DF will go before me, and if ex-h does as well I will leave it to charity I imagine - not that there will be a lot to leave.

I forgot to say, I have no siblings.

This is something I have agonised over because I am mid-60s, single, no kids, no partner and my one distant half-sibling is 10 yrs older than me and wealthy. She has two offspring in their mid-40s, who I have only met once when they were tiny, but they have never taken the slightest interest in me, have never visited me or sent me a birthday or xmas card. Because of this I don't think they deserve to inherit money I worked for all my life, just because of a small genetic connection with me. Also they will inherit from their parents, so don't need it.

After much thought I made a will leaving everything to my lodger. She's one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have ever known, and she has no inheritance from anyone else, as her father died when she was a child and her mother lives in poverty back in their own country. What is more, she works extremely hard at her job, never takes a sickie, and it paid an absolute pittance. She has no prospect of ever being able to afford even to rent a flat let alone ever being able to put down a deposit on a house, and is destined to be forever a lodger in someone's house unless she meets a man who will provide a home for them both. And so, for all those reasons, I have left her my house and every penny I have saved up, and she will be able to stay and have lodgers of her own, and stop slaving on minimum wage, or sell up and take nearly a million quid back to her own country where she will live like a queen.

60% to my partner and 40% to my nieces and nephews, if he predeceases me then all to my nieces and nephews.

@Ladyof2022 That’s really lovely - your family of choice

I have no children nor a partner.
My assets have been spilt between 2 women’s charities, no bequests apart form some books to one friend, and a scarf to another.

My will is written giving all my direct family members an equal share so parents, sisters and niece. If i did have a partner they would also feature and likely to recieve more if we were serious and lived together

When i had a dog i did say my parents would receive a greater share for looking after her but she died of old age a few years ago now

Err, what about your orphaned DCs?