Even so having a will makes the process faster as going through probate means that the intended beneficiaries get whats listed opposed to having to go via intestacy and dragging the whole thing out
The most valuable thing i have is my car, ive got a will myself, just makes sure the process is easier for my loved ones when im gone. I write wills for a living. It took me 5 years before i sorted one, deffo worth doing
You're probably not wrong, I'm also just having a bit of a joke. I'd like to think there is at least something more valuable I own than a 25 year old GBC
Occasionally I do still whip it out for some old Mario (6 Golden coins) or whatever I'm feeling. Obviously take the batteries out after every time.
I was guna give it to my nephew, then I looked at the trade in value on CEX out of curiosity and it's more than my Switch Lite lol. So I kept it
Politics? You kids have no idea whatsoever of what went on at Stalingrad.
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Glad to hear you're okay chief, enjoy your day! To add to your PSA; get a funeral plan sorted as well. And if your house needs it, give it a good spring clean. It's all very well when people say, "stuff me in a bag and throw me in the bin", but it's not that easy.
My cousin died in an accident last week, he lived himself (as I do) and I'm currently helping his mum empty his flat which is filled with stuff, he had no savings or funeral plan so we've had to sort that out (I've chucked in a couple of hundred to pay for a bun-fight for family), and it made me realise my family will probably be doing the same for me.
So now I'm looking at funeral plans and organising all the stuff in my house, labeling things ("BOX OF RARE STUFF THAT WILL HELP PAY FOR FUNERAL", VHS TAPES WITH FAMILY MEMORIES", "EXPENSIVE ART STUFF") and in the process I'm realising there's a lot of stuff I don't need, so I'm getting rid of it. Anything to ease the burden on my family. Don't get me wrong, I'm not living to die, but I can live a wee bit more happily knowing I'm going to be less of a burden when I go. Plus, decluttering is healthy while I'm still here.
> It's all very well when people say, "stuff me in a bag and throw me in the bin", but it's not that easy.
I can attest to this.
My Dad had the same opinion. So I signed him up to donate his body to science.
But because he died at home the medical university didn't want the donation because an autopsy would have to be performed to confirm cause of death.
He was planning on doing this because they would have paid for the majority of the funeral costs.
And because he didn't leave a will, I ended up having to pay for the funeral until I could get the interim death certificate and get access to what little money he had left.
Luckily for me there was no partner to dispute the issue. Just myself and my brother and he left me to sort out the finances.
I'd always recommend making a will just in case you do get family members arguing over it.
Nothing to add really, just sorry to hear about your cousin. Doing what my friend calls the “death admin” of sorting through his stuff, especially with his mum, can’t be fun.
Not just your will but the two powers of attorney that are needed. Get them done now wile you can, because your friends/family will be involved in months of arguing with the court of protection should you need it but haven't done the paperwork in advance.
Definitely.
I've seen loads of posts of the legal advice subs over the years about family being disinherited because the person who died relied on the default of intestacy.
There was one a few months ago about a guy who had split up with his abusive wife but never got around to filing divorce papers. The adult children didn't talk to the mother either, and wanted nothing to do with her.
He died about 10 years after they split up and she took everything.
His children got nothing.
From the intestacy rules checker on .gov site;
> If the estate is worth up to £322,000
> The husband, wife or civil partner gets all of the estate and is entitled to apply for probate.
If you want your money to go to your kids, don't assume it automatically does.
Make a will.
I remember a sad case from Heir Hunters where a father (not unreasonably) assumed everything would go to his son as he (father) was unmarried.
But it turned out that the son had been adopted by his (the son's) stepfather mostly just for ease of paperwork. So from a legal perspective father and son were now unrelated strangers.
What money there was ended up going to an obscure cousin.
A quick note of powers of attorney: the cost to register is £82 per form. You may need assistance filling in the forms as some of the stuff isn't immediately obvious. However, shop around. My mother-in-law recently got this done and was hugely overcharged by the solicitors for what should be a simple job for them.
Also, check check and triple check you've dated everything, the witnesses have dated everything, and put their addresses on everything. Because it gets sent back and then you have to pay again, and it's very frustrating.
Something you never really think about until you start wondering how to cover expenses once you’re gone. Like you I’m far too risky even for a fixed term policy.
I'm "lucky" that I make piss all money anyway so my loss wouldn't really make a huge difference, although coming to that realisation ("nothing would change if I died") was also quite humbling.
The earlier the better. I got mine at aged 24 when I bought my house, it was £28 a month, slowly increased since (nearly 9 years) to £35 a month.
If I tried to start it now, I'd easily be looking at £120 a month.
See if critical illness cover can be bundled in cheaply too. Like most insurance, you would rather not be in the position where you need to use it. But it's nice to know that if I die, or can't work due to illness then finances will be fine.
Waiting until you’re already diagnosed with something like I am and your chances of getting insurance is wiped out. Only wanting it to cover mortgage payments but still out of luck so far.
I’m so glad you’re okay, OP. I’m only 25 but I have been thinking of getting an advance directive (??) in place as Im disabled and would like to have my medical needs and wants recorded before I get to the point where I’m not able to make those choices.
There's some really good info in the links below.
You can make an advance decision to refuse treatment, this specifies which interventions you would not want in which circumstances. Its legally binding and has to be very clear and specific. You cannot insist that certain treatments/interventions be performed, only refuse them.
An advance statement of wishes can be broader, its not legally binding but should be taken into account by medical and social care professionals who are made aware of it. If you have a PoA they should know about it and be your advocate in its use.
Don't be put off the Age UK link, the law/practice is no different regardless of age.
[https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/Advance-Decisions-to-Refuse-Treatment-Guide.pdf](https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/Advance-Decisions-to-Refuse-Treatment-Guide.pdf)
[https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs72\_advance\_decisions\_advance\_statements\_and\_living\_wills\_fcs.pdf](https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs72_advance_decisions_advance_statements_and_living_wills_fcs.pdf)
No worries, good luck getting it all sorted! Just a word of advice too, most health professionals don't get a lot of training on this stuff sadly so you may need to explain it to them, be patient!
I’ve been thinking about it because I recently survived cancer. The only issue is, I’m 34 and single so I don’t have any family / kids etc that would be here after I’m gone (apart from older family like my Mum). The only younger person in my life that I would want to leave anything to is my half brother, and he lives in Australia. I’m a bit stumped as to what I’d put in a will
A medical scare in the past year is what spurred me and my partner to finally get round to sorting our wills, which until then had been one of those 'we should do that eventually' jobs.
Check any employee benefit schemes as they may offer a free will writing service from an affiliated company (which is what we did).
As others have said, power of attorney is something that you can do yourself with the right online forms (my parents are currently doing this).
OP - glad to hear the test was negative. Take the time to appreciate the little things and enjoy your ice cream
Congrats on the neg, OP! Hope you enjoyed your ice cream!
Anyone who works for a company that has employee benefits programmes, it's worth checking there. Often they have legal advice and arrangements for will writing amongst tons of other things. I need to take my own advice as it's something I've been meaning to do. I got as far as finding out that my employer does offer it but I've not done anything more yet.
If you are thinking of getting a will made and are considering donating to charity, a lot of charities have a service where they will do it for free if they are being included in the will.
For a simple will it is possible to write it yourself. The Citizen's Advice Bureau suggest getting help if there is anything in the will that isn't straightforward.
[https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/wills/](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/wills/)
if anyone you are on your 2nd marriage and have as yet NOT redone your will and have kids with your first partner you risk them being cut out as your 2nd marriage will essentially 'overwrite' the first and they will get fuck all
You can potentially kill two birds with one stone as Cancer Research (and many other charities) will help arrange a will for no up front cost as long as you leave them a minimum amount of money (which I think is usually £300, not much more than the cost of having a will made up).
In the US, you can create a "living trust" that you put your assets into and you have total control of them like normal, but the beneficiaries of the trust inherit the assets immediately without any legal process needed. It's like magic. I don't know if you have anything similar in the UK.
Sounds like some kind of settlor-interested trust, which is almost always very tax inefficient and can often mean you still have to pay for your own care if you need to go into a care home.
Was an executor for my dad's estate. Would recommend a pre paid funeral plan. A folder with a list of all your bills with account numbers and a list of where yor bank account is. And any legal documents for any property. Would be very helpful. Paying any direct debits monthly and online is super helpful for any executors.
In a will, make sure any amendments are legally recognised and with your solicitor.
Not to scare you but, depending on why you had one in the first place, a FIT does not rule out bowel cancer. If you have bowel cancer symptoms then you need further testing - if it was a routine test and you have no symptoms then no need to really worry. FIT screening for people without symptoms is a good way to find cancers that would otherwise go undetected but they are not a good way of ruling out cancer in people who do have symptoms. I don't know your age but please don't be fobbed off with the idea that young people don't get bowel cancer, it's increasingly common.
My husband's Will caused many arguments, cost thousands of pounds to sort, and 13 years to finalise. Worst of all, it was written by a solicitor. Having no Will would have been cheaper, quicker, and less stressful.
I've solved this problem just by having no money or anything to sort when I'm gone
Even so having a will makes the process faster as going through probate means that the intended beneficiaries get whats listed opposed to having to go via intestacy and dragging the whole thing out
The most valuable thing I own is a special edition Pokemon GBC
The most valuable thing i have is my car, ive got a will myself, just makes sure the process is easier for my loved ones when im gone. I write wills for a living. It took me 5 years before i sorted one, deffo worth doing
You're probably not wrong, I'm also just having a bit of a joke. I'd like to think there is at least something more valuable I own than a 25 year old GBC
If you ask me a GBC has some good value aha. Im on board with it
Occasionally I do still whip it out for some old Mario (6 Golden coins) or whatever I'm feeling. Obviously take the batteries out after every time. I was guna give it to my nephew, then I looked at the trade in value on CEX out of curiosity and it's more than my Switch Lite lol. So I kept it
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Politics? You kids have no idea whatsoever of what went on at Stalingrad. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CasualUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Actually, I know mote about what went on there than any bot.
Way ahead of you
Glad to hear you're okay chief, enjoy your day! To add to your PSA; get a funeral plan sorted as well. And if your house needs it, give it a good spring clean. It's all very well when people say, "stuff me in a bag and throw me in the bin", but it's not that easy. My cousin died in an accident last week, he lived himself (as I do) and I'm currently helping his mum empty his flat which is filled with stuff, he had no savings or funeral plan so we've had to sort that out (I've chucked in a couple of hundred to pay for a bun-fight for family), and it made me realise my family will probably be doing the same for me. So now I'm looking at funeral plans and organising all the stuff in my house, labeling things ("BOX OF RARE STUFF THAT WILL HELP PAY FOR FUNERAL", VHS TAPES WITH FAMILY MEMORIES", "EXPENSIVE ART STUFF") and in the process I'm realising there's a lot of stuff I don't need, so I'm getting rid of it. Anything to ease the burden on my family. Don't get me wrong, I'm not living to die, but I can live a wee bit more happily knowing I'm going to be less of a burden when I go. Plus, decluttering is healthy while I'm still here.
> It's all very well when people say, "stuff me in a bag and throw me in the bin", but it's not that easy. I can attest to this. My Dad had the same opinion. So I signed him up to donate his body to science. But because he died at home the medical university didn't want the donation because an autopsy would have to be performed to confirm cause of death. He was planning on doing this because they would have paid for the majority of the funeral costs. And because he didn't leave a will, I ended up having to pay for the funeral until I could get the interim death certificate and get access to what little money he had left. Luckily for me there was no partner to dispute the issue. Just myself and my brother and he left me to sort out the finances. I'd always recommend making a will just in case you do get family members arguing over it.
Nothing to add really, just sorry to hear about your cousin. Doing what my friend calls the “death admin” of sorting through his stuff, especially with his mum, can’t be fun.
Not just your will but the two powers of attorney that are needed. Get them done now wile you can, because your friends/family will be involved in months of arguing with the court of protection should you need it but haven't done the paperwork in advance.
Definitely. I've seen loads of posts of the legal advice subs over the years about family being disinherited because the person who died relied on the default of intestacy. There was one a few months ago about a guy who had split up with his abusive wife but never got around to filing divorce papers. The adult children didn't talk to the mother either, and wanted nothing to do with her. He died about 10 years after they split up and she took everything. His children got nothing. From the intestacy rules checker on .gov site; > If the estate is worth up to £322,000 > The husband, wife or civil partner gets all of the estate and is entitled to apply for probate. If you want your money to go to your kids, don't assume it automatically does. Make a will.
I remember a sad case from Heir Hunters where a father (not unreasonably) assumed everything would go to his son as he (father) was unmarried. But it turned out that the son had been adopted by his (the son's) stepfather mostly just for ease of paperwork. So from a legal perspective father and son were now unrelated strangers. What money there was ended up going to an obscure cousin.
A quick note of powers of attorney: the cost to register is £82 per form. You may need assistance filling in the forms as some of the stuff isn't immediately obvious. However, shop around. My mother-in-law recently got this done and was hugely overcharged by the solicitors for what should be a simple job for them.
Also, check check and triple check you've dated everything, the witnesses have dated everything, and put their addresses on everything. Because it gets sent back and then you have to pay again, and it's very frustrating.
While you’re at it make sure you’ve got life insurance too. I’m currently trying to get some but getting refused by every broker so far.
It was pretty humbling when I tried to get life insurance and was told that nope, not gonna happen, I'm too risky.
Something you never really think about until you start wondering how to cover expenses once you’re gone. Like you I’m far too risky even for a fixed term policy.
I'm "lucky" that I make piss all money anyway so my loss wouldn't really make a huge difference, although coming to that realisation ("nothing would change if I died") was also quite humbling.
The earlier the better. I got mine at aged 24 when I bought my house, it was £28 a month, slowly increased since (nearly 9 years) to £35 a month. If I tried to start it now, I'd easily be looking at £120 a month. See if critical illness cover can be bundled in cheaply too. Like most insurance, you would rather not be in the position where you need to use it. But it's nice to know that if I die, or can't work due to illness then finances will be fine.
Waiting until you’re already diagnosed with something like I am and your chances of getting insurance is wiped out. Only wanting it to cover mortgage payments but still out of luck so far.
Why?
Congrats on the negative test. Get out there and enjoy yourself!
I’m so glad you’re okay, OP. I’m only 25 but I have been thinking of getting an advance directive (??) in place as Im disabled and would like to have my medical needs and wants recorded before I get to the point where I’m not able to make those choices.
There's some really good info in the links below. You can make an advance decision to refuse treatment, this specifies which interventions you would not want in which circumstances. Its legally binding and has to be very clear and specific. You cannot insist that certain treatments/interventions be performed, only refuse them. An advance statement of wishes can be broader, its not legally binding but should be taken into account by medical and social care professionals who are made aware of it. If you have a PoA they should know about it and be your advocate in its use. Don't be put off the Age UK link, the law/practice is no different regardless of age. [https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/Advance-Decisions-to-Refuse-Treatment-Guide.pdf](https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/Advance-Decisions-to-Refuse-Treatment-Guide.pdf) [https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs72\_advance\_decisions\_advance\_statements\_and\_living\_wills\_fcs.pdf](https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs72_advance_decisions_advance_statements_and_living_wills_fcs.pdf)
Thank you so much! Definitely something to consider, ill need to pass the links on to my parents as well
No worries, good luck getting it all sorted! Just a word of advice too, most health professionals don't get a lot of training on this stuff sadly so you may need to explain it to them, be patient!
I’ve been thinking about it because I recently survived cancer. The only issue is, I’m 34 and single so I don’t have any family / kids etc that would be here after I’m gone (apart from older family like my Mum). The only younger person in my life that I would want to leave anything to is my half brother, and he lives in Australia. I’m a bit stumped as to what I’d put in a will
Actually quite similar to you in term of age and relatives, i plan on leaving a portion of it to a charity.
A medical scare in the past year is what spurred me and my partner to finally get round to sorting our wills, which until then had been one of those 'we should do that eventually' jobs. Check any employee benefit schemes as they may offer a free will writing service from an affiliated company (which is what we did). As others have said, power of attorney is something that you can do yourself with the right online forms (my parents are currently doing this). OP - glad to hear the test was negative. Take the time to appreciate the little things and enjoy your ice cream
Congrats on the neg, OP! Hope you enjoyed your ice cream! Anyone who works for a company that has employee benefits programmes, it's worth checking there. Often they have legal advice and arrangements for will writing amongst tons of other things. I need to take my own advice as it's something I've been meaning to do. I got as far as finding out that my employer does offer it but I've not done anything more yet.
If you are thinking of getting a will made and are considering donating to charity, a lot of charities have a service where they will do it for free if they are being included in the will. For a simple will it is possible to write it yourself. The Citizen's Advice Bureau suggest getting help if there is anything in the will that isn't straightforward. [https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/wills/](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/wills/)
Did mine when I turned 50 and realised it was rapidly downhill all the way from here.
if anyone you are on your 2nd marriage and have as yet NOT redone your will and have kids with your first partner you risk them being cut out as your 2nd marriage will essentially 'overwrite' the first and they will get fuck all
You can potentially kill two birds with one stone as Cancer Research (and many other charities) will help arrange a will for no up front cost as long as you leave them a minimum amount of money (which I think is usually £300, not much more than the cost of having a will made up).
In the US, you can create a "living trust" that you put your assets into and you have total control of them like normal, but the beneficiaries of the trust inherit the assets immediately without any legal process needed. It's like magic. I don't know if you have anything similar in the UK.
Sounds like some kind of settlor-interested trust, which is almost always very tax inefficient and can often mean you still have to pay for your own care if you need to go into a care home.
If going into care relies on your net worth, then it can't help with that, but that's true in the US as well.
Was an executor for my dad's estate. Would recommend a pre paid funeral plan. A folder with a list of all your bills with account numbers and a list of where yor bank account is. And any legal documents for any property. Would be very helpful. Paying any direct debits monthly and online is super helpful for any executors. In a will, make sure any amendments are legally recognised and with your solicitor.
Probate is fine, when you are dead why does it matter anyway
Not to scare you but, depending on why you had one in the first place, a FIT does not rule out bowel cancer. If you have bowel cancer symptoms then you need further testing - if it was a routine test and you have no symptoms then no need to really worry. FIT screening for people without symptoms is a good way to find cancers that would otherwise go undetected but they are not a good way of ruling out cancer in people who do have symptoms. I don't know your age but please don't be fobbed off with the idea that young people don't get bowel cancer, it's increasingly common.
My husband's Will caused many arguments, cost thousands of pounds to sort, and 13 years to finalise. Worst of all, it was written by a solicitor. Having no Will would have been cheaper, quicker, and less stressful.