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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask my Dad to do this with his will

10 replies

AveAtqueVale · 03/11/2025 11:55

Apologies - this is an extremely first-world problem, and will be long as the background is relevant. Looking for opinions as I have a slightly difficult relationship with my dad since he left my mum when I was 18, and I don't want to put my foot in it/ make things worse as I'd say we're now ok, just not very close. As in we speak every few weeks on the phone and see him a few times a year. I love him but distantly, and don't have much trust in how much he actually cares about me, though I am sure he thinks he does.

For context, he is very wealthy. Not in the private jets league but owns several houses worth at least £1m, and I think could relatively easily put his hands on several hundred thousand pounds at any given time with fairly short notice.

I have never asked him for any money but he has given me some over the years. He supported me financially through my undergraduate degree (because he had to - my mother got it written into their divorce agreement), bought me a car, and gifted DH and I £10000 towards a deposit for our first flat. When his father died he also passed his amount of the inheritance directly down to my brother and I, as he said he didn't need it, which was around another £10000. I also think he's put some money away in savings accounts for my DC, though I have no idea how much. I'm aware all this amounts to a substantial amount of financial help and is a lot more than most people get, but would also like it to be clear that it was very easy for him to do - not quite 'small change' but certainly non-significant amounts for him.

Last year he told me (apropos of nothing - I would never have asked!) that he and his wife have wills set up so that their estate would be divided equally between me and my brother and his wife's two sons in the event of their deaths. I didn't fully follow all the ins and outs, but I think it's set up so that if one of them dies first, the surviving spouse keeps half the estate and the other half is divided four ways, with the remaining half divided four ways upon the surviving spouse's death. Tbh this was a bit of a surprise as I'd always expected that the whole estate would go to his wife when he died (assume he will predecease her as he's a good decade or so older), and then in all likelihood would all go to her children.

Now, the crux of the issue is this: I cannot get life insurance. Or rather I can but I cannot afford it. Even insurance which excludes my several pre-existing conditions, which frankly are the things most likely to kill me prematurely, is extortionate, thanks to said conditions. I have no plans to pop my clogs imminently, but it is something I do worry about, as we have 3 DC, two with additional needs that mean DH absolutely couldn't continue to work full time if I died. And frankly even if he did he would really struggle to afford everything on his salary alone.

So - WIBU to ask my Dad that if I predecease him, he pays off the mortgage for DH? Or, failing that, helps him to continue to pay it? I am fairly sure he could do either pretty easily, without impacting his or his DW's lifestyle in any way. And he should then obviously count it out of my 'share' of the eventual estate. I assume he's arranged it so that my share would go to my DC if I predecease him, but frankly I feel like a roof over their heads and a Dad able to be with them more would be of greater benefit to them than money in a trust fund. And even if he hasn't, and my 'share' would just go back into the estate to be eventually divided between my brother and stepbrothers, I still don't think it's an unreasonable ask, and would leave a lot of extra still floating around for them.

So, is this unreasonable? I don't want to sound greedy or like I'm after his money, but it does seem like a way I could get this nagging worry about how DH would manage if I died out of my head!! For the record I would never even have considered it if he hadn't told me how their wills are set up!

OP posts:
Chocolateteabag · 03/11/2025 12:05

Why don’t you phrase it as a conversation about your Will?
Don’t ask him for anything specifically - See what he suggests instead?
For him to have amassed What he has, he sounds like he must be quite proactive?

it gives him the opportunity to be the “saviour” which (knowing nothing about your dad) many men in senior roles seem to like to be

FuzzyWolf · 03/11/2025 12:11

I think you need to have a general chat with him and ask if he could protect your children in the event that you die before him. Then you can go through their needs and see what he thinks would work best. It’s probable that a trust for your children that your DH has full control over would work just as well. Then your DH can look at what needs paying at the time because it could be full time carers are far better than paying off the mortgage but still having to work to cover the bills and do all of the caring.

Do you work at the moment? There are lots of companies out there that pay out several times an employees salary if they die whilst in service and that could be another reassuring backup for you.

AveAtqueVale · 03/11/2025 12:16

Chocolateteabag · 03/11/2025 12:05

Why don’t you phrase it as a conversation about your Will?
Don’t ask him for anything specifically - See what he suggests instead?
For him to have amassed What he has, he sounds like he must be quite proactive?

it gives him the opportunity to be the “saviour” which (knowing nothing about your dad) many men in senior roles seem to like to be

That is actually a good idea - he very much likes doling out practical advice and problem-solving. But also feels a bit manipulative which I don't like 🤔.

Proactive is one way of describing it 😂. In theory my mum got the better end of things financially in their divorce (though I have always had doubts that his financial disclosure was fully candid) but they are in very different places moneywise now, even considering that he continued to be a high earner for many years after they split, while she didn't work.

OP posts:
AveAtqueVale · 03/11/2025 12:25

FuzzyWolf · 03/11/2025 12:11

I think you need to have a general chat with him and ask if he could protect your children in the event that you die before him. Then you can go through their needs and see what he thinks would work best. It’s probable that a trust for your children that your DH has full control over would work just as well. Then your DH can look at what needs paying at the time because it could be full time carers are far better than paying off the mortgage but still having to work to cover the bills and do all of the caring.

Do you work at the moment? There are lots of companies out there that pay out several times an employees salary if they die whilst in service and that could be another reassuring backup for you.

I do work but part-time due to DC, and I'm public-sector with no equivalent private-sector role I could do. My part-time salary is currently similar to DH's full-time one. Death in service benefits are ok and would certainly help temporarily, but wouldn't provide a lasting solution as I think they're tied to my pension and I haven't been working long enough to have accrued much.

DC's additional needs are not of the sort that require full-time carers, but more of the sort that absolutely need a trusted adult around a lot of the time to co-regulate and help them manage life. Both have ASD, one is at an SEN school and the other struggles to attend school at all at the moment. They can't really manage wraparound care other than for occasional emergencies, and would only accept babysitters they know very well. They really need a parent around most of the time. I suppose though a nanny or au pair they could get to know would work as well eventually, so a trust fund DH could use for that might work.

OP posts:
toomuchfaff · 03/11/2025 12:50

one of them dies first, the surviving spouse keeps half the estate and the other half is divided four ways, with the remaining half divided four ways upon the surviving spouse's death

First of all, when one dies first (him), she is free to change her will so dont expect anything from the 2nd death.

I agree with previous posters but wanted to add this...

AveAtqueVale · 03/11/2025 13:08

toomuchfaff · 03/11/2025 12:50

one of them dies first, the surviving spouse keeps half the estate and the other half is divided four ways, with the remaining half divided four ways upon the surviving spouse's death

First of all, when one dies first (him), she is free to change her will so dont expect anything from the 2nd death.

I agree with previous posters but wanted to add this...

The way he said it made it sound like it wouldn't be alterable - I can't remember exactly but I think he said the surviving spouse would keep/ be able to use the other half of the estate for 'the duration of their life' and I believe a trust of some sort is involved. But you could well be right. As I say until last year I was never expecting any inheritance from him at all, and am aware he could always change his mind anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️.

It's just that since he's obviously (currently) willing for me to an inherit a reasonable amount of his estate I'd like to see if he'd still use some of that to help DH and the DC if I die before him.

OP posts:
Liondoesntsleepatnight · 03/11/2025 13:14

how much are you willing to pay for life insurance? Put that away every month into an ISA or something.

Speak to your Dad about your concerns, don’t suggest anything, see what he comes up with

houseofisms · 03/11/2025 13:23

My parents have done this. To protect from IT BUT…. Legally the remaining person will have to pay going rate rent to myself and my brother.

I’ll also own 1/4 of a house. That’s great but I’m pretty sure it’ll mess up my UC. I have a severely disabled son and also have cancer so had to give up my career and rely on benefits. So I’d get no UC but a 1/4 I can’t do anything with and I’d obviously not take rent from a parent! Just saying as you mentioned having a disabled child so not sure if it would affect you but something to consider

Soontobe60 · 03/11/2025 13:34

AveAtqueVale · 03/11/2025 12:25

I do work but part-time due to DC, and I'm public-sector with no equivalent private-sector role I could do. My part-time salary is currently similar to DH's full-time one. Death in service benefits are ok and would certainly help temporarily, but wouldn't provide a lasting solution as I think they're tied to my pension and I haven't been working long enough to have accrued much.

DC's additional needs are not of the sort that require full-time carers, but more of the sort that absolutely need a trusted adult around a lot of the time to co-regulate and help them manage life. Both have ASD, one is at an SEN school and the other struggles to attend school at all at the moment. They can't really manage wraparound care other than for occasional emergencies, and would only accept babysitters they know very well. They really need a parent around most of the time. I suppose though a nanny or au pair they could get to know would work as well eventually, so a trust fund DH could use for that might work.

Public sector pensions are generally good for death in service - for example, a teacher would receive 3x their annual full time equivalent salary and their spouse would also receive a dependent’s pension.
You could look at getting life insurance that’s a reducing term - is it’s enough to cover the outstanding mortgage rather than a set figure until death, so is cheaper than regular life insurance. https://www.aviva.co.uk/insurance/life-products/life-insurance/knowledge-centre/level-term-vs-decreasing-term/

Cynic17 · 03/11/2025 13:44

I would never ask anyone to do a specific thing with their Will. Each of us has the right to make our own decisions - if we want to leave it all to the donkey sanctuary, we can.
This is why discussions about Wills before death are just completely inappropriate.

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