Who's in your will?

[JorisBonson]

Very grateful this board was created today as I have to update my will.

As it stands, DH will get the lot if I go before him. If be goes before me, or we go together, my (also childfree) brother will get everything. If God forbid they both go before me I'll likely leave it all the charity.

I also want to leave around 10% of my (measley) estate to my best friend, just to give her tiny nest egg.

MumsNot is what they should've called this board, that's brilliant.

Dsis.
Dsis kids per stirpes, except that she doesn't have any.
Ddistantcousin.
Ddistantcousin's kids per stirpes. Ddistantcousin has kids.

Except if Dsis is still alive or has kids I will want to send some to Ddistantcousin anyway because her branch of the family treated her dreadfully and cut her out of wills etc for something her mum, not her, did.

Families are so fucking weird.

Divided equally between two cat charities.

I can’t honestly blame people for not noticing which board they’re posting on if a thread shows up in Active. Maybe the lesson from this is that threads in this board still need to specify ‘if you don’t have kids’.

Not ideal, I know. But if we get the usual ‘why are you on MN’ idiots posting, then at least I think we can be a bit more robust in our responses.

My DD gets all mine. If anything happens to her it’s split between 2 animal charities.

This is the childfree board.

Mine is split between my mum and my ‘god daughter’. Although I’m not religious, I have maintained a constant role in her life and she is a wonderful young person who I would be very happy to help her make her way in life.
If mum passes before me then the other half will be split between my best friend and charity.

Sorry, I apologise. It came up on active & went by the title.

I also don’t want to give to charity as I’ve seen what charities do to families who have had deceased relatives leave money to them, it’s awful

Do enlighten! The charity trustees have an obligation to make sure they get what was intended in full but so long as the will is drafted unambiguously I can't see that there would be much scope for a fight? But I've never been involved.

As you're being (understandably) vague about what the item is, it's hard to say.

But you can leave it to minor kids on trust, with clear instructions to the trustees as to what should happen. It could be held in secure storage for them until they are eighteen for example. Their parents don't need to be involved. This would need a professionally drafted will.

It was, until a poster who was against the idea of the board in the first place, complained.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit is there a particular child that you feel closer to, or that would appreciate the item more than the others?

Assume it’s not something that could be shared at all?

This is the childfree board and the thread is about people who don't have children, as has been noted several times already.

I

Sorry didn't notice that. have requested for my post to be removed

My situation - mum, single childfree sibling
Husband - parents, married sibling with two children

Both our wills leave everything to my mum but if she dies it goes to my sibling.

Husband’s reason - his sibling married a long time after we did and had children in quick succession. MIL was thrilled she now has grandchildren and let slip one day after a few glasses of wine that BIL & family will inherit everything when PIL’s die. My family are not in the UK and are not well off so for my DH he felt it was the right thing. I had zero input in his will by the way.

I think we just let the ‘everything goes to my kids’ posters off for now as this childfree/less board is new 😂

All mine goes to my parents and local charities.

I have this dilemma. I have several younger cousins, and by instinct would split it between the ones I'm closest to, and won't inherit much from their parents. However I can see that causing a rift if person A gets money and sibling B gets nothing. I've thought about keeping a record of how often each of them contacts me, and adding a pointed note to my will that I see no reason to leave money to family who have shown no interest in me over the years!

@LorraineInSpain @Daphodils

So it couldn't be split no

Basically I'm not well off at all so this would be the main thing I would have to leave.

It's an Antiques Roadshow type situation where I bought something at a cheap price which has turned out to be sought after and the sale price has skyrocketed

Friends would probably be the best custodians in that I imagine they would keep it and let the value grow even more

The second family option, it would make a bigger difference to them, I think in the longer run.

No problem! And I apologise for the snippy tone in my post, which you did not deserve.

Everything to DP if I go first, everything to me if DP goes first.

If we go together, the dog goes to my neighbour.
But she's a very nervous, older lady [the dog, not my neighbour] so can't move house and wouldn't cope well at all without me and DP. So we've agreed with my neighbour that she'll arrange for the vet to come and PTS. But, while she's waiting for that to happen, my neighbour will stay in the house with the dog. We've set aside £25,000 for her as recompense for doing this.

I have one heirloom. It's not valuable but I'd want it to stay in my maternal family. I haven't specifically stipulated who should have it. I'm waiting until all my cousins' children are grown up and will leave it to most sensible one.

Everything else is sold and proceeds and liquid assets are all given to our local dogs home.

Our plan, though, is to run down our assets so there's very little left when we die. As well as day-to-day life, holidays, hobbies, houses etc. we also plan to use some of our money later in life to fund scholarships - most likely PhD studentships - for working-class young people.

Nothing to friends. DP doesn't want to leave anything to his family including nieces and nephews. I don't have any family.

No will yet but when I do...everything in trust for DH if I go first, then to a local independent animal charity once DH goes, if there's anything left. My DM and DB are reasonably well off anyway and I don't have much of a relationship with my niblings or cousins or wider family.

I don’t want to derail the thread so I’ve PMd you

I’m not expecting to have much left once any care costs are covered, but in the event I pop off before that happens, then it’s an even split between nieces, nephews and god children.
If he’s alive, I fully expect one of my brothers to try claim he or his kids should get the lot, as he is obsessed with my finances and why I won’t give him any money as it is.

I’m hoping I’ll be allowed to add
YOU DON’T GET A PENNY BECAUSE YOU ARE A GREEDY ENTITLED TWAT just as a response, in case.

Mirror wills for DH and I and then everything divided between nieces and nephews. Luckily we have three on either side which makes it nice and clean. There are a few specific items of jewellery and hierlooms on DH's side which are going to specific nieces and nephews but otherwise it's an even split.

The annoying thing is that I won't be around to see the look on BiL/SiL's faces when they realise we've left money to their kids despite their attempts to paint us as child-hating monsters and keep us out of their lives. I mean obviously, I hope we'll have long lives and get to know the niblings as adults which would negate this, but you know what I mean...

That's my plan. Otherwise charities and friends, maybe my DB. Must sort that out.