# DIY Will?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I know, I know, I know- most will say "get thee to a lawyer" to prepare your will.
But, I'd like to know if, in fact, anyone has circumvented lawyers and done up their own will, either something written out by hand or a will kit, or whatever, assuming you just need or want what I would call a fairly-uncomplicated will - maybe just basically leaving everything to surviving spouse & then to children on passing of both spouses. Anyone have any experience? any horror (or non-horror) stories?
This issue has kind of intrigued me ever since i was a young fella, and the company I was working with had to obtain the will of one of the most distinguished senior lawyers in our city, who had passed away. We got it - HIS will was written out in his own hand....ON THE BACK OF A BROWN PAPER BAG!! (true story)


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

That's all we have.

I didn't even buy a kit. I found a free will form online.

http://www.truehelpinternetwork.com/members/legalforms/pdf_docs/Estate.pdf


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

very nice. thanks tom!


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Here's the the thing, you guys will be dead and seem not to care too much about survivors so why even bother with a will??? Anecdotal ... a relative passed away almost 2 years ago, had a handwritten will, the wording of which lacks coherence/clarity and so the intent is "debatable". Nothing has transpired since the death, well except for lawyers fees ... just saying, pay a little now or potentially pay a lot later ... oh wait a minute, you guys will be dead, what do you care. I'd put this in the cheap vs frugal category ... eaceful:


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

cringing at :"_well except for lawyers fees_" 

maybe... but can you tell me what's wrong with the wording in Tomb's link???


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

And who would be the beneficiary if your spouse has passed and your child predeceased you? Your daughter in law or son in law or their children? If the latter, do you need some sort of trust agmt or ?? to ensure they do don't receive the estate proceeds until they are a certain age? We wrestled with that one. Right to life is another issue and we even provided a copy of this to our family doctor. For 500.00 I felt it was a bargain.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

As long as a holographic will is legal where you live and you keep it very simple ... why not.


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

1+ for a simple holographic will. It's not rocket science. A lot easier to make future changes, etc. Keep it in a safe place, let the executors know if it's location, etc. For complicated Wills, sure see a lawyer. 

We had a relative recently pass away. The lawyers lost the signed will. All we had was an unsigned copy. Seems like it's standard practice for lawyers around here to retain the signed original and give out unsigned copies. Why not produced two originals, one to be retained by the lawyers and one for the client. Lawyers also make mistakes that can lead to a lot of aggravation.


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

cainvest said:


> As long as a holographic will is legal where you live and you keep it very simple ... why not.


Not legal here in BC. 
While I probably over think things I have concerns as if my wife and one of my children predecease me "do I leave our assets to our grandchildren or their spouses?". There spouses could marry some unemployed, lazy, and unambitious loser or the grandkids go down the wrong path and everything they inherited just disappears. On the other hand, i realize that you can't control things from ones grave. As an aside, our lawyer and others recommended that inheritances follow family lines and bypass our childrens spouses. For now, we did the opposite but may change it as the time goes by. Mind you, I guess we could spend all we have worked for and die broke. Not really a big deal but is just something that I think about.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

My dad DIY-ed his will and had me and my husband sign it as witnesses. We did. After the fact, I found out that you can't have beneficiaries as witnesses and so now he will have to re-do the entire thing. I have told him this but I don't think he's gotten around to it yet. If he dies without re-doing it, I don't know what kind of problems it will cause. 

Hence, we had our wills done by a lawyer. Cost $750 for 2 wills, 2 POA's, and 2 medical directives. Well worth it, IMO.


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

It only takes a trip to a lawyer for a simple will, like you propose, to show you how easy it is to do it yourself. Now, in my case, I at least got a lawyer to confirm this, by creating my 1st simple will. So in every will since then, I just use the 1st one as a template for wording and concept and simply change the names and things I need changed.

Just make sure your witnesses are not beneficiaries in any way.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Can lawyers be witnesses?


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

Beaver101 said:


> ^ Can lawyers be witnesses?


Yes, provided they are not named as beneficiaries under the will. But lawyers usually do not sign, preferring to have office support staff members act as witnesses.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

If you are doing a holographic will check to see if you even require witnesses, most (all?) places don't IIRC.


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

There is a guide to go with that form. I apologize for not linking it but I was on my way out the door when I posted it.

I tend to disregard the scare tactics. I find that many things in life are easier than initially described.

My first wife was a lawyer and we have a lawyer in the family. Even though it would be easy and free for me, I didn't bother asking for help. I read the guide and filled in the form.

... But keep in mind, I have made up my own land titles packets and I've been to court without a lawyer. In both cases, it was alarmingly easy. Books... YouTube... Internet... And what a wonderful feeling to do things for myself.

If someone finds themselves worried or confused, it could be well worth it to get a lawyer. My lawyer will do a will for $175. It's not a lot of money if it helps someone feel better about it.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

This is where I think if you have any amount of assets, or children it is wise to get a lawyer. It’s not just the will, but the PD and the POA that matters. For under $1000 for two people, it’s well worth it. 

If you make a mistake, you won’t know until your dead or when it matters. In my parents case, I had some questions, and was able to call the lawyer, and she walked me through everything. That in itself was worth the $500 they paid when first setting them up. 

I know not very frugal but when I think about some of the asset of 7 or 8 figures a $1000 in the big scheme of things.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

TomB19 said:


> There is a guide to go with that form. I apologize for not linking it but I was on my way out the door when I posted it.
> 
> I tend to disregard the scare tactics. I find that many things in life are easier than initially described.
> 
> My first wife was a lawyer and we have a lawyer in the family. Even though it would be easy and free for me, I didn't bother asking for help. .


we too, have a lawyer in the family. She told me a long time ago that with MOST lawyers, their main priority is not you...not the issue....not the principle....no, their main concern is padding their fees / billable hours. I believe her.....


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

cainvest said:


> If you are doing a holographic will check to see if you even require witnesses, most (all?) places don't IIRC.


In some places, holographic wills are not valid. BC for example. In places where it is legal a witness is not required but it must be signed and dated, although there are exceptions.
I worked in wills and estates for several years. I could tell you lots of horror stories. We used to review wills from lawyers and found about 1/2 had potential issues that could result in the testators wishes not ending up as intended.
Every province has its own rules. Do you know the ones in your province?
In some, marriage revokes a will but divorce does not. 
Some people forget to date their will. Others have it incorrectly witnessed or not witnessed at all. Many don't make provisions for alternate executors or beneficiaries.
Of course you cannot plan for every eventuality.
Do you know the difference between per stirpes and per capita.
Do you know the rules for intestacy in your province and are you happy enough with them if your will was deemed invalid.
In some cases it is appropriate to have two wills.

Second marriages, divorces etc can all impact a will. Your ex spouse may have a legal claim on your estate for support.

Having said all that, a reasonably intelligent person with some research and a fairly simple estate plan can do a will themselves.

I still recommend most folks use a lawyer.

Here is a case of an unsigned undated will being deemed valid.
In the u of Saskatchewan law school there is a tractor fender on display.
The story is a farmer was pinned under his tractor when it rolled. He scratched on the fender ' If I die in this mess, I leave it all to my wife'. He died. The courts ruled it was a valid will. Not dated, not signed but it was obviously who wrote it and the date was not in dispute.


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

Synergy said:


> 1+..... Seems like it's standard practice for lawyers around here to retain the signed original and give out unsigned copies. Why not produced two originals, one to be retained by the lawyers and one for the client. Lawyers also make mistakes that can lead to a lot of aggravation.


You can only have one original copy of a will. ( although you may have two different wills for different purposes). You should have the lawyer do two things with a will though. First he should have affidavits of execution done by the witnesses at the time of signing. This will make it easier when it comes to probate.
Then get the lawyer to make a copy( or copies) of the signed original, with an affidavit stating it is a true copy. These are generally acceptable to banks etc but you need the original for probate. ( if original is lost, probate may accept a true copy on exception basis).
You can have multiple copies of a POA or PD though.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

look, basically, I just want to leave everything to my nephew, Harold..... this should cover it..:


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> look, basically, I just want to leave everything to my nephew, Harold..... this should cover it..:


I wonder if it would be valid to do a "youtube" video as your will?


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

twa2w said:


> Do you know the difference between per stirpes and per capita.


Good one. And does everyone know the difference between lapse and ademption?


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

twa2w said:


> I worked in wills and estates for several years. I could tell you lots of horror stories. We used to review wills from lawyers and found about 1/2 had potential issues that could result in the testators wishes not ending up as intended.
> 
> I still recommend most folks use a lawyer.


That's a rather stunning incidence of solicitors' negligence/incompetence. I hope all of those discoveries were reported to the appropriate law society.

Given the 50% failure rate, I am a bit surprised you still recommend using a lawyer. I would think a trained monkey should manage to achieve about equal results. 

Like all other fields of law these days, wills, trusts and estates law is increasingly handled by specialists. There are too many pitfalls for the unwary. For the rather small fees that can be charged for drawing a will, it's hardly worth assuming the risk of making an error and being sued by some disappointed beneficiary. Years ago, in private practice, I drafted a few wills for clients. But I never put them into final form until they had been reviewed by the one lawyer in our firm who did almost exclusively wills, trusts and estates law and planning.

I recognize that most wills drafting errors will not be detected until long after the will has been executed. The document will receive scrutiny when the testator/testatrix, has passed on and, in many cases, so will the lawyer who prepared the will have left this earth. I have read a fair number of cases where clumsy drafting led to interpretation disputes in court. In reading those, it always occurs to me that I would not want my name forever enshrined in the law reports as a lawyer who did a poor job in expressing a testator's intention. That is why I have never let even a simple will leave my hands without the imprimatur of a specialist.


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

There are good lawyers and there are bad lawyers, just as there are people who can read a guide and do a good job of filling in some fields while others would screw up the instructions for putting on a pair of shoes.

IMO, the most important thing is to feel good about it. I wouldn't discourage anyone from seeing a lawyer for their will. I just wanted to share what we have done. We don't have children so our goal is to leave the least expensive skid mark on the planet as possible.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

TomB19 said:


> I just wanted to share what we have done. We don't have children so our goal is to leave the least expensive skid mark on the planet as possible.


That is a critical piece of disclosure that was absent in your prior posts. To me, broad statements should be supported by context. 

There are circumstances where a DIY will can make sense and if one has no offspring, then it is only siblings that will fight over the estate. Even then there is an issue, as in per stirpes vs per capita. Quite a different distribution results from that. If there are children involved, and particularly minor children, a DIY will makes no sense at all. Even with adult children there is the issue if they are married and might have their own children. What is the division process? What happens if an adult child with family happens to die in the same auto crash as you do? There are a host of complications and permutations.

In our case as a second (late) relationship, there are issues as to what spouse gets, how my adult children and/or her adult children and their families are affected, what happens with our house (tenants in common, life interest), etc. Could we essentially leave each other out of our estates given current BC estate law on common law relationships? Different law than Alberta, etc. 

There is not a chance I would have overhauled my will on my own when we entered our current relationship.


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

Mukhang pera said:


> That's a rather stunning incidence of solicitors' negligence/incompetence. I hope all of those discoveries were reported to the appropriate law society.
> 
> Given the 50% failure rate, I am a bit surprised you still recommend using a lawyer. I would think a trained monkey should manage to achieve about equal results.
> 
> .....


To be fair, as I said, these were potential issues and in many cases minor. In most cases the issues would not cause any problems , but if Sally died before Betty the issue may come into play sort of thing.
Even things where people leave money to charity.
I leave the balance of my estste to the Cancer society or the United Church.
Uh is that the local chapter or church. Is it the provincial or National body. Is that the Canadian cancer society? What if the charity changes its name or doesnt exist in the same format?
With small amounts, the executor just makes a decision. Larger amounts result in court cases. I have seen a few.
We always wanted clients to be specific or give the executor lattitue.

We also always recommened a memorandum of wishes clause which a lot of lawyers didnt seem to like.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Mukhang pera said:


> Yes, provided they are not named as beneficiaries under the will. But lawyers usually do not sign, preferring to have office support staff members act as witnesses.




here is a story that only mukhang pera can appreciate .each: 

there was this famous old case in quebec. Back in the day when married women had no civil rights, could not sign for anything, could not obtain medical treatment without the husband's approval, could not even vote (all this was actually quite recently, quebec was the last canadian province to enfranchise married women) (although i believe switzerland tarried even longer over the female vote issue)

it seems there was this law firm in quebec that always called upon the same support personnage to witness wills drawn up in english form. She was a loyal employee, so in the end there were hundreds of wills across a couple of decades.

oops. It turned out that she was married the whole time, so all of the wills became invalid.

this is an interesting commentary on how little the managing partners at the law firm cared or even knew about the actual life circumstances of their lowest-paid clerical staff (she would have been a low-ranking personnage such as a receptionist) (the partners' secretaries would have been too busy)


.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Spudd said:


> My dad DIY-ed his will and had me and my husband sign it as witnesses. We did. After the fact, I found out that you can't have beneficiaries as witnesses and so now he will have to re-do the entire thing. I have told him this but I don't think he's gotten around to it yet. If he dies without re-doing it, I don't know what kind of problems it will cause.
> 
> Hence, we had our wills done by a lawyer. Cost $750 for 2 wills, 2 POA's, and 2 medical directives. Well worth it, IMO.




your first sentence had me thinking OMG this doesn't sound like Spudd, but by the third sentence i was relieved to see you had gotten around to the punch line.

parties talking upthread about unforeseen complications from DIY will jobs are speaking reality. Nobody knows what the future will bring.

a testator might think he can bequeath everything to nice wife & she in turn will bequeath what's left to nice children & that will be that. Simple as 1-2-3. Just write it up on a brown paper bag & stick behind a frig magnet.

but what if nice wife remarries & leaves her estate - including everything she inherited from first husband - to the new husband, who's brought children of his own into the blended family, so he bequeaths the assets that really came from first husband to his own kids?

or what if testator develops alzheimer, has a stroke or otherwise becomes a vegetable - ie cannot change his will - but still goes on living. Meanwhile the wife herself passes away, so the vegetable inherits her estate.

also meanwhile, one of the adult children dies, ie this offspring predeceases his or her father, the person who is now a vegetable.

if the DIY testator didn't know the difference between capita & stirpes, the portion of the estate that might have gone to this adult offspring will never be used to help that offspring's children (ie the grandchildren) but will instead be divided up among his or her surviving siblings.

if the vegetable still had a brain, he'd revise his will in order to provide for those grandchildren. But he can't do anything, because he's a vegetable ...

a good lawyer will be able to plan a will that will keep some of these calamities in check. I for one think it's foolhardy to let Cheap rule the day in will planning. 

even testators without children need to be concerned about the charities to whom they bequeath their estates. Charities can sue, if other charities are also named & the bequests are not properly described. In fact, remote family members can also sue, in attempts to elbow the charities out of the picture.


.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

lawyers seem to like that word "sue", don't they ....? 
(Imagine being a lawyer's daughter named Susan)


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

cainvest said:


> If you are doing a holographic will check to see if you even require witnesses, most (all?) places don't IIRC.


You don't need a witness for a hand written will but do you really want people to struggle through your handwriting just to avoid witnesses. With a typed will you can save a copy and make changes anytime you want (re-witnessed of course). Do you want your heirs to maybe have to find a hand writing expert to confirm it was your handwriting. 

A typed up will with two witnesses, their names and addresses provided, who have absolutely no reason to lie, to affirm that this is the document that you signed and dated when you were of sound mind and reasoning, just makes it cleaner and easier and legal.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

^^


afaik the 2 witnesses each need to fill out & sign an affidavit stating that they were present at the moment when the testator signed his or her will & that each of them viewed the actual signing of the testament ... law offices will usually bind these documents into the will ... does this sound like something a DIYer can handle?


PS what Optsy Eagle is describing is not a modification of a will, it is a brand-new will; so it does indeed require 2 brand-new witnesses plus their affidavits (i believe a modification to a will is called a codicil but it probably also requires 2 witnesses)


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

OptsyEagle said:


> You don't need a witness for a hand written will but do you really want people to struggle through your handwriting just to avoid witnesses. With a typed will you can save a copy and make changes anytime you want (re-witnessed of course). Do you want your heirs to maybe have to find a hand writing expert to confirm it was your handwriting.


If one has a very simple will I don't see a problem with handwriting it, no one would struggle reading my handwriting.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

DW and I had hand-written unwitnessed, holograhic wills for many years (make sure you are in a province where they are legal). 
I'm not sure if the adage 'any will is better than no will' applies or not. Anyway, in hindsight we had them far too long before going to a lawyer and getting proper wills and PofA's drawn up. She said they were well done but they were silent on some possibilities. 

We left the lawyer feeling we hadn't just paid for a will - we found the discussion of our situation and estate intentions helpful and she gave us some good food for thought that was reflected in our wills. Of course that's what you should get from a good 'wills & estates' lawyer.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

some cyber experts say that most wills need 2 executors these days.

they need a regular executor, who will know how to look after the stocks, bonds, hisas, houses, furniture, jewels, cars, clothes, boats, books & other earthly chattels.

then they need a cyber executor, who will know how to find the assets hidden in nets & clouds. The pictures, videos, albums, stories, poems & other pixels. A regular executor cannot be counted upon to find these assets.

who knows, these days a cyber executor is likely to find bitcoins & other wealth in the internet, all having belonged to the dearly departed.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...jeez, on & on it goes.....It'll soon be getting so complicated, I don't know if it'll be worth dying in the first place....


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## GreatLaker (Mar 23, 2014)

jargey3000 said:


> ...jeez, on & on it goes.....It'll soon be getting so complicated, I don't know if it'll be worth dying in the first place....


Really not that hard...

Get a lawyer to do a will and POA/Property and POA/Personal care for you for the greatest certainty that your estate will be disposed of in accordance with your wishes
get a will kit and DIY - save a couple hundred $ on a 6 or 7 figure estate
do a handwritten holographic will (where jurisdiction allows) and hope you don't make a mistake that invalidates your will or causes conflict among beneficiaries because it is legally unclear
Throw caution to the wind and don't have a will. Greatly increases the possibility of dispute over handling of the estate... great fun for all :fatigue:

Cost of my will was much < 0.05% of my net worth which, really, is money that won't be in my estate for my beneficiaries. Won't affect my spending or lifestyle at all. Decision is obvious.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

+1 For estates of any significant value, or complication, e.g. having spouse and/or children, I don't understand the 'penny wise and pound foolish' nature of DIY wills. It's not more than the purchase of one good business suit. It is even more important to have proper POA and PD that do need to be drawn up by a notary or a lawyer. These latter documents are kind of like having disability insurance, i.e. more likely and more devastating to the family than not having life insurance.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> ...jeez, on & on it goes.....It'll soon be getting so complicated, I don't know if it'll be worth dying in the first place....


 ... LOL! Now do you really have a choice?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> ... LOL! Now do you really have a choice?


who sez you cant take it with you ??!!


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

AltaRed said:


> It is even more important to have proper POA and PD that do need to be drawn up by a notary or a lawyer.


Not the case in SK. We signed a form I downloaded from the Internet in front of a notary and witnesses (provided by the notary). We've had no problems.

The fear mongering in this thread is disheartening.

It isn't that difficult. Some aspects of the law, including wills, POAs, etc., are designed to be accessible to the average person. If you can read and follow simple directions, you can handle a lot of your own affairs.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

thanks tom..but what if my third commom-law wife re-marries a transgender man with 11 kids from another marriage, one of whom is named Perstripes & another named percapita, and i develop "touch" of dementia after stashing all my bitcoins in a cyber-vault... who gets all my loot , under my $300/hour lawyer-drawn-up Will...
this is a real possibility!


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Tom does not seem to grasp situations that are more complex, and may involve business interests as well. There is a time for simple, and a time to pay for good advice. 

I would not have considered doing my own Will given a "late" common law relationship (effectively at retirement), in BC yet with its family law provisions, with my spouse having 3 adult children, some (mow all) married, some grandchildren and me having 2 grown children in common law relationships. Asset values (net worth) of each vary tremendously. Then there is the house, which is in tenants-in-common title for a reason, and life interest to accommodate a surviving spouse. There is a lot of risk in getting all that right especially when significant values are at stake. Hence the sleep-at-night factor with a good family law lawyer.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

let's remember we started off this thread describing options for a fairly simple . "uncomplicated " set of circumstances...one spouse, one house, coupla kids, few bank accounts.... that's it.
no bitcoins, no common law, no tenants-in-common, whatever that is, no pinned under a tractor,no ancient Quebec laws...etc


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> let's remember we started off this thread describing options for a fairly simple . "uncomplicated " set of circumstances...one spouse, one house, coupla kids, few bank accounts.... that's it.



but jargey nobody lives like that anymore. Everybody has spice, ex's, steps, grands, trans & cyber assets.


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

jargey3000 said:


> thanks tom..but what if my third commom-law wife re-marries a transgender man with 11 kids from another marriage, one of whom is named Perstripes & another named percapita, and i develop "touch" of dementia after stashing all my bitcoins in a cyber-vault...


I'm pretty sure you can still use the same form but you put a stroke through the gender field and write in, "tucks under".


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

TomB19 said:


> That's all we have.
> 
> I didn't even buy a kit. I found a free will form online.
> 
> http://www.truehelpinternetwork.com/members/legalforms/pdf_docs/Estate.pdf


We also filled out free will online. For us it's simple....everything goes to surviving spouse and then 50/50 to our 2 kids.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

gibor365 said:


> We also filled out free will online. For us it's simple....everything goes to surviving spouse and then 50/50 to our 2 kids.


What happens if some combination of 2 of you or 3 of you get killed in a car crash? Who is alternate executor? Who is the guardian of any minor children and who manages the trust? Are all those things covered?


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> who sez you cant take it with you ??!!


 ... the God Almighty? So what are you planning to take with you? I can picture a fishingboat ... lol.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> ... the God Almighty? So what are you planning to take with you? I can picture a fishingboat ... lol.


..that's an inappropriate, offensive and somewhat racist comment, beav.....
mr. moderator: a ruling please!


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Seriously ... inappropriate, offensive and "somewhat" with racist? LOL ... will be interesting to see how the moderator rules ... guess they haven't been given enough challenge(s) to task lately. LOL LOL LOL ...


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Bill the fisherman dies.
His widow goes down to the local paper to post the obituary.
She tells the writer just print "Bill died".
The writer informs her she gets 5 words for the same price, is there anything else she'd like to say.
She thinks about it and replies "Bill died, boat for sale".


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> ^ Seriously ... inappropriate, offensive and "somewhat" with racist? LOL ... will be interesting to see how the moderator rules ... guess they haven't been given enough challenge(s) to task lately. LOL LOL LOL ...


(just kidding beav, just kidding.....but WATCH IT, EH? ... 


ps to rikk - old joke, but a good one


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

And while we are at it, another oldie but goodie:

The madam opened the brothel door in Glasgow and saw a dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties.

"May I help you sir?" she asked.

"I want to see Valerie," the man replied.

"Sir, Valerie is our most expensive lady. Perhaps you would prefer
someone else?" said the madam.

"No, I must see Valerie," he replied.

Valerie appeared and announced to the man she charged £5,000 a visit.
Without hesitation, he pulled out five thousand pounds and gave it to Valerie, and they went upstairs. After an hour, the man calmly left.

Next night the man appeared again, once more demanding to see Valerie.

Valerie said that never before had anyone come back the next night; she was so expensive. There were no discounts; the price was still £5,000.

At once the man gave Valerie the money and they went upstairs. After an hour he left.

The following night the man was there yet again. Everyone was
astounded, but he paid Valerie and they again went upstairs.

After their session, Valerie said, "No one has ever been with me three nights in a row. Where are you from?"

The man replied, " Edinburgh."

"Really," she said. "I have family in Edinburgh."

"I know." he said. "Your sister died, and I'm her solicitor. I was
instructed to deliver your £15,000 inheritance in person.

The moral of the story:
Three things in life are certain:

1. Death.

2. Taxes.

3. And being screwed by a lawyer.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

AltaRed said:


> I don't understand the 'penny wise and pound foolish' nature of DIY wills. It's not more than the purchase of one good business suit.


Thereyago! Forgo buying a suit. Take the money you save and have will/poa drawn up all proper by a lawyer. You don't need to be buried in a suit anyway - just be sure your executor knows 'no open casket' (or not):courage:

(I don't understand the penny wise and # foolish either). My dilemma is choosing an appropriate executor (no kids)


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...speaking of solicitors...my fav lawyer joke:

This swell-headed, conceited rich lawyer pulls up to his office in his brand new Ferrari.
Anxious to go in & show off his new car to everyone, he opens the car door to get out, without looking.
Just then a pickup comes speeding by - and takes the car door right off!!
Furious, all he can say is "My god! Mygod! MY FERRARI!! MY FERRARI!!
He calls the police. Police arrive, and office cant believe it. He says to the lawyer: "Man! You're so f**in' materialistic! Look! The pickup hit you so hard as you were opening the door, it took you ARM OFF up to the elbow! And all you were worried about was the damn CAR!!" 
The lawyer looks down, at his missing arm.... He goes into shock!: "Oh my god! my god...." he says ...My ROLEX!! MY ROLEX!!"


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

That's a good one, jargey. Here's another (albeit getting into thread hijacking territory).

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass.

Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and got out to investigate.

He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied." We have to eat grass."

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you" the lawyer said.

"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree."

"Bring them along," the lawyer replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You may come with us, also."

The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"

"Bring them all as well," the lawyer answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine. Once under way, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you.”

The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it. You'll really love my place. The grass is almost a foot high."

Come on now...you really didn't think there was such a thing as a heart-warming lawyer story...did you????


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

> ... Come on now...you really didn't think there was such a thing as a heart-warming lawyer story...did you????


 ... I'm curious ... do lawyers laugh at these stories?


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> (just kidding beav, just kidding.....but WATCH IT, EH? ...
> 
> 
> ...


 ... I'm watching, I'm watching ... LOLOLOLOLOL ...


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

Beaver101 said:


> ... I'm curious ... do lawyers laugh at these stories?


Yes. At least some do.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

TomB19 said:


> AltaRed said:
> 
> 
> > ... It is even more important to have proper POA and PD that do need to be drawn up by a notary or a lawyer.
> ...


It would seem to depend on how many there are that might be trying to pull a fast one. My uncle had a lawyer written up POA that while he was in the hospital, he asked his two sisters to use to get something from his safety deposit box (I forget what it was or what was to be done with it). The FI said "if you really want to use the POA, our procedure is to sent it to head office in Toronto where our lawyers will review it to give a yes or no. Typical time frame is seven weeks. If you want to get it done faster, take a copy of our POA, get him to sign it and you are good to go."

Lots of discussion between the two sisters as to how to proceed where the solution was provided by a clerk. Overhearing their names - the clerk asked why a POA was being used when one sister had signing authority to get into the box that my uncle had meant to remove but never go around to it.


Cheers


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

only the one with a sense of humor


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I had access to my parents safety deposit box as a co-signee on the box. Our son has he same on ours. I also had a POA however this ends at death.

The bank froze my father's safety deposit box. They did this only AFTER I gave them the death certificate. In the intervening days prior to getting the death certificate I was able to go into the box as per usual.

We produced a will for the bank even thought he accounts were frozen until they got a probate release from the Province. The bank did let us into the box but insisted that both my sister and I (executors) be present. The box was emptied and inventoried.


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## protomok (Jul 9, 2012)

Or just use www.willowbee.ca and make a will for free online!


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

I opened a safety deposit box in the name of our 2 children with myself as agent. The contents are all mine but of course they have access. They will close it out after my death.


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