Are your affairs in order?

[BlueStarryHat]

I'm only responsible for myself. I have a good life insurance policy so that I can have a viewing and cremation, with a few grand left over for a bequest to my nieces and nephew. I also have a living will.

 

[DWGal210]

Oh, my! you reminded me of when my step-dad died. He had been diagnosed with MAST cell leukemia for about 6 weeks. This particular kind of leukemia is hard to treat and has a high mortality rate. He was pretty sick and he thought he had his affairs in order--pre-paid funeral, Will, bank accounts with Mother's name on them, bills paid, little credit card debt. However, the one thing he forgot to do was change the beneficiaries on his life insurance. He joked with my Mother that he would someday leave her a rich widow.

Well, you can guess what happened. He had a heart attack and died 11 days later. His $100,000 life insurance policy went to his 1st ex-wife, from whom he had been divorced almost 30 years and a $40,000 policy when to his 2nd ex-wife who happened to be a good friend of Mother. The 2nd ex immediately turned the money over to Mother. The 1st ex thought she had won the lottery and refused to give mother anything.

My step-dad's will was a total mess. It was legal, but OMG. He left the house to my mother and his son & daughter. He stipulated that all his things were to be sold and the money given to his son & daughter. Step-dad had a collection of model plane kits, over 1500. He told my mother that at least one of them was worth $5000 and Mother believed him.

It's been a mess. His son died a year after step-dad and his daughter died a few years later. Step-dad has one legal grandchild ( age 32), so now all that stuff goes to him. Mother couldn't bear to sell his things so she has put it off for 12 years. We finally got her to give all the plane kits to the grandchild. She's planning to also give him some of step-dad's books and furniture, but she keeps putting it off. She's not allowed to given anything to Goodwill. Unfortunately, none of the stuff is valuable. She's going to get very little for it, but it will require a LOT of work on her part to get rid of this stuff.

Mother is 79 and this a HUGE burden on her. I know my step-dad had good intentions but if he had had any idea how this was going to go down, I think he would have done things differently.

Oh my goodness! Sorry to hear it's been a mess. Your poor mom.

 

[lauradis]

Oh, my! you reminded me of when my step-dad died. He had been diagnosed with MAST cell leukemia for about 6 weeks. This particular kind of leukemia is hard to treat and has a high mortality rate. He was pretty sick and he thought he had his affairs in order--pre-paid funeral, Will, bank accounts with Mother's name on them, bills paid, little credit card debt. However, the one thing he forgot to do was change the beneficiaries on his life insurance. He joked with my Mother that he would someday leave her a rich widow.

Well, you can guess what happened. He had a heart attack and died 11 days later. His $100,000 life insurance policy went to his 1st ex-wife, from whom he had been divorced almost 30 years and a $40,000 policy when to his 2nd ex-wife who happened to be a good friend of Mother. The 2nd ex immediately turned the money over to Mother. The 1st ex thought she had won the lottery and refused to give mother anything.

My step-dad's will was a total mess. It was legal, but OMG. He left the house to my mother and his son & daughter. He stipulated that all his things were to be sold and the money given to his son & daughter. Step-dad had a collection of model plane kits, over 1500. He told my mother that at least one of them was worth $5000 and Mother believed him.

It's been a mess. His son died a year after step-dad and his daughter died a few years later. Step-dad has one legal grandchild ( age 32), so now all that stuff goes to him. Mother couldn't bear to sell his things so she has put it off for 12 years. We finally got her to give all the plane kits to the grandchild. She's planning to also give him some of step-dad's books and furniture, but she keeps putting it off. She's not allowed to given anything to Goodwill. Unfortunately, none of the stuff is valuable. She's going to get very little for it, but it will require a LOT of work on her part to get rid of this stuff.

Mother is 79 and this a HUGE burden on her. I know my step-dad had good intentions but if he had had any idea how this was going to go down, I think he would have done things differently.

wow that's a hot mess.

 

[minkydog]

wow that's a hot mess.

No kidding! Mother really needs to start paring her things down; she's a huge hoarder and that has gotten exponentially worse each year. I'm hoping she can get the grandchild to take whatever he wants of his grandfather's things. She needs to get a letter from him acknowledging that he agrees for her to dispense everything else as she sees fit. I *think* he'll do that, although he did recently ask her flat out how much money he'll get when she sells her house.

 

[clh2]

No kidding! Mother really needs to start paring her things down; she's a huge hoarder and that has gotten exponentially worse each year. I'm hoping she can get the grandchild to take whatever he wants of his grandfather's things. She needs to get a letter from him acknowledging that he agrees for her to dispense everything else as she sees fit. I *think* he'll do that, although he did recently ask her flat out how much money he'll get when she sells her house.

Minky...that is just wrong.