milo

figure its time to write a will.

i am technically still married, altho estranged for over 2 years. i am living with my gf.

needless to say, if anything should happen to me, i want my entire estate to go to my gf and not my wife.

however, my gf is younger than me, and as such, if we die simultaneously, as i understand it, if i leave everything to her, it goes to her first, then to her next of kin (her druggy mother who she hates). i dont want this happening either.

so i want everything to go to my gf without my wife being able to claim... but if my gf dies within (say) 2 weeks of me, i'd want it to go to my parents instead.

this is surely a common scenario?

the main thing is to make sure my wife can't get her hands on any of it.

should i see a solicitor and pay up a few hundred for a will, or will one of those whsmith or online will packs do the job here?

also, is there any way of making someone your next of kin? in other words, i want my gf to be my next of kin instead of my wife. how can i do this?

cheers

Spoon

Milo- Any solicitor will write exactly as you wish, only they will give you the legal standpoint on certain issues that will arise and therefore amend it slightly if necessary.

All this can be done easily and properly for less than £100.

As it's not straightforward you should steer clear of any other method of will writing.

milo

cheers! under £100 sounds good - i'd been told "a few hundred" (i mistakingly read this as £400ish) by a couple of people which is why i was trying to avoid that method vs. a £10 online will pack. £100 is ok for the peace of mind.

i'll phone around some solicitors, cheers

anyone else in a similar situation (having a wife they dont want the money to go to)?

red_dog104

I've had a will done and even though i live with my boyfriend, I want my share of the house and any savings to go to my son. It does get a bit complicated in my case because i've also said that I want my parents to have legal custody of my child and not my ex husband (don't think he's fit to look afther him, but that's a different and very long story!!!!). The solicitor really wasn't that good as he argued every decision I made, so I would say that you should 'shop' around and pay a bit extra for a good one who will do exactly what you wish!

Spoon

Red- Your solicitor probably argued with your decisions simply because I can see one point of contention in your post that would almost certainly not wash.

Your ex-husband can quite easily blow your wishes out of the water. He has every right to contest your decision to leave him out of the custody of your son, (assuming he is the father).

red_dog104

True Spoon but it's a long and complicated story!! My basis for putting this in the will was purely to give my parents a better footing to apply for custody. My ex husband doesn't want custody and basically he will be "dumped" with his son if anything happens to me. I don't want my child to be put in that awkward situation. I also don't want him being put into the care of the state. This way shows that my parents are willing and happy to look after him if the worst happens.

Spoon

Red, I know all about long and complicated stories and I can see why you have done it. That doesn't stop your ex having far more rights than your parents if he wants to kick up a fuss because he can.

My point was really to let Milo know that without a solicitor to be able to pull your requests apart because of this and that, then you simply won't know just how unworkable your homemade will could possibly be, and you may end up leaving more strife than it's original intentions.

Leslie

Good advice from Spoon.

Les