Help me feel ok about this will

[TerryWogansWig]

Ok, I know “every will is contentious”, but I’m feeling dejected about this one.

DHs aunt, last remaining relative of that generation. No children of her own, Had over £1m in bank accounts etc. We were expecting a 4 way split between DH, his sister, their late mother ( recently deceased also), and a family friend who’d done a lot for her.

Will opened: £50k to each of the 4 expected beneficiaries, a few other very small specific amounts ( church etc), and the balance ( over 800k) split between 4 named charities .

That’s lovely for those charities, but I feel this is just not right. Why not specify an amount to the charities, with the rest split between family? But hey, that’s what she specified so we have to accept it.

Help me get past this.

Often people leave a specific amount to beneficiaries and the rest to charity because they don't know how much the estate will be worth.

So leaving everyone £50k 10-15 years ago may have been thought of as a reasonable sum, assuming only £50k left for a charity. The problem comes when any property rapidly appreciates and the remainder vastly outweighs the sums left to beneficiaries.

when I read these will posts their are people who express distress that the will does not reflect the nature of their relationship ie they loved their mother dearly but the will was geared towards a less wealthy sibling so they feel hurt - or ones like your's where there is zero mention of a relationship with the deceased other than a blood tie and its all about the money they expected because of that.

This actually has to be a piss take.. no one could be so ungrateful surely..

I disagree. There's lots of different reasons someone might leave money to charity. As long as you've made provision for dependents - and by that I mean under 18s, maybe young adult children at university, an adult disabled child who cannot live independently - then it is not selfish to give money to charities that mean something to you. There's a big difference between need and want.

I think 50k is a pretty good inheritance! I’ve lost every relative apart from my younger brother and never inherited a penny.

Oh ffs MN are bat shit crazy abour wills.

Obviously if person got living relatives you will make their life as comfortable as you can unless you have beyond damaged relationship with all.

I'd go no contact. She can have amazing time getting prescheduled emails from these charities for her birthdays.
Daft cow.

I worked in probate for many years and have seen enough of this sort of absolute nonsense that nothing shocks or even mildly surprises me. Just let it go, OP. And if it's your husband who's enraged by the "unfairness" if it, give him a slap round the chops from me. Not his money, not his business to decide how his aunt should have disposed of it. The same, by the way, goes for parents!

She was thinking of the greater good. You should try it!

She’s dead.

I'd go no contact. She can have amazing time getting prescheduled emails from these charities for her birthdays.

She’s dead 😂

I knew the general standard of reading comprehension on this site was poor but fucking hell, this takes the biscuit

She'll probably still get the emails!

She won’t be able to read them though.

Thing is , £250,000 couldn’t even buy you a decent house , in some parts of the country, let alone £50,000…

I assume they’ve already made provision to house themselves? Most people pay for their housing through their salaries.

a couple of years ago DH's uncle left circa £50 k to each of his seven nieces and nephews.

£1.8 million went in IHT. The rest - obviously substantial- went to several charities. DH was the executor. He had other members of the family demanding that he help them contest the will 'for the children'. (i.e- their adult children). Children who in some cases had never met DUncle. Other cousins who had not seen him for years.

I thought less of them. TBH I don't think much of you, OP either. It's not concern. It's greed.

Well in that case OP can still be mad.
I'd never visit her fucking grave and cut everyone who thinks that was a right thing to do.
Good she is dead tho.

To be honest you sound so unpleasant that I can’t see many people visiting your grave either 😬

It's irrelevant chat not an UAT contract.
We do not need to read every update 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

I was making the point about the amount.
And minimum wage doesn’t always qualify you a mortgage needed.

You only need to read the OP to know that that the woman is dead.

Has the OP said they’re on minimum wage?

Neither. I have money and I also like money. I however do not, and have never, counted on anything that isn’t in either my hand or my name.

Adjusting her views would benefit her by virtue of avoiding disappointment. A lot of good can indeed be done with money, but this money was and isn’t OP’s to do anything, good or bad, with.

Like why would I even care?
Hope everyone I love will be well taken care of and they can go on end enjoy their lives.
But you do you ofc

Oomph. Yeah I would have hoped for more if she was as rich as that. But 50k would be life changing for me.