Your Will
By ossie16d
@ossie16d (11821)
Australia
October 17, 2006 10:57am CST
Have you a legal Will? If so, do your immediate family know where it is kept if something should happen to you? Do they know your wishes? You don't need to be 'old' to have a Will because any of us can go at any age and so if you want certain people to have your assets on your passing, you should have a Will.
Please let's discuss this.
2 people like this
13 responses
@Bunny2 (2102)
• Australia
21 Jan 07
We have one we made out 23 years ago when we first bought our home. It allowed for any children born of our marriage - but we never got around to updating it. Now that my eldest is studying law at Melbourne and working part time for a barrister, we thought we really should update. Basically our three boys will get everything divided among them, but my hubby has a lrge collection of Superman memorabilia that he doesn't want split up. So he has to decide what happens to it. Otherwise it's pretty straight forward.
1 person likes this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
21 Jan 07
I think it is a good idea to have one, and to keep it updated really so there can be no hassles when the time eventually does come for the Will to be invoked. We only have the 1 child, so that wasn't an issue really except he will hold certain family memorabilia in trust for future generations.
1 person likes this
@Bunny2 (2102)
• Australia
5 May 07
Well we finally got around to updating our wills, and while we were at it, we updated my parents-in-law's wills and also did a new one for my Godmother, including power of attorney both medical and legal for her. It was a lot of work and organizing, but at least it's all done now.
@gifana (4833)
• Portugal
15 Jan 07
Yeah, I gotta will....it reads; I sylvia-------being of sound mind spent it all. hehehehehehe ...Actually I don't but I keep thinking I should as there are a couple of family heirlooms that I feel should go to a family member but can't which ones yet. Everything I have is here in Portugal and my family have no idea what I have so it will all go to my roommate to do with as she chooses. I suppose I have to do it one day but since I have to do it in both English and Portuguese it seems like work and since work is against my religion I am in a quandry. Like Scarlet.....I'll think about it tomorrow...... Nice to see you back.
1 person likes this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
15 Jan 07
Hi gifana I am only passing through really as I have a little spare time right now, so thought I would get a few things out of the way. You are right in that work is not a good idea. Actually it is one of those 4 letter words we were told not to use when we were children, but I have added some: work, cook, iron, wash to name just a few.
Will be back on and off for next week or so, depending on what else has to be done. Cheers my friend and thanks for responding. :)
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
18 Oct 06
Not necessarily a "nice" thing to discuss but having one is extremely important, irrespective of the age. It is also essential that someone knows where it is kept so your wishes can be carried out when the time comes, rather than someone else deciding what should happen if your Will cannot be found.
Thanks for your response.:)
@sandypandy (250)
• Australia
21 Nov 06
Yes I did update mine in September.
After having a close friend and husband in a car crash, leaving a couple of small children behind. While both sides of the family had massive fights about children, items and the list goes on .
Who suffered. THE CHILDREN. They where put in different foster families while all was sorted out.. just over 4 years later they where given to her parents. Very sad from that day on I have kept my will up todate.
I love my family too much for them to go thru anything and all written down so everybody knows what my wishes r.
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
22 Nov 06
You are so right Sandy and how sad for your friend's children to be caught up in a fight between families, so that they ended up separated and in foster homes. As though they didn't have enough suffering in their young lifes already at that time.
Anyone who has ever seen the fighting that goes on when there is no will, surely understands the reasons why we should all have one.
Thanks very much for your contribution to the discussion. :)
1 person likes this
@Starlady0_1 (586)
• United States
12 Jan 07
No I don't have a legal Will. I really should tho. I do have life insurance that if something happens to me my son gets the money to bury me with. I know more of us really should be making out a Will.
1 person likes this
@firelight (1858)
• Australia
21 Nov 06
No I don't have one, it's probably something I should think about doing.
@wyykidd (1460)
• Singapore
21 Nov 06
No... I know it's important to have one, but I just never got down to getting it done.
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
9 Apr 07
It is important to have one sarah because as you say life can end very easily. It would be awful to think that for the lack of making a Will, that the legal system took over and your precious assets could end up with people you don't want to have them.
@Phlamingho (7825)
• Denmark
21 Nov 06
No I don't have one yet... Don't think I need one until I get married or have children.
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
21 Nov 06
In Australia you do need 2 witnesses but they do not read the Will, as they are only witnessing your signing of the Will. The only stipulation here is that the witnesses cannot be beneficiaries under the Will.
So, as they cannot read your Will or at least are not entitled to do so, then they won't know your secrets. In Australia, a Will that has not been witnesses can be challenged more easily than one that has had the signature witnessed by 2 independant people.
@annateh (24)
• Malaysia
10 May 07
Both my husband and me have a WILL.
We draft our WILL based on a sample. We do not go through any lawyer or trustee company. We have 2 witnesses during signature time. We keep a duplicate set of the WILL at home. The original copy is kept by 1 of the witness.
More and more people recognize the importance of having a valid WILL nowadays.
