Am I a grabbing money loving g*t?

Am I a grabbing money loving g*t?

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Discussion

ColinM50

Original Poster:

2,630 posts

174 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
SWMBO's Godfather died last year. He had no children, just four distant nephews and nieces on his late wife's side. When his wife died three years ago she left a lot of her jewellery to my wife, worth about £10k, thank you very much godmum.

As I said, Godfather died last year and left an appreciable estate, his flat and stocks and shares come to £2.7million which his will distributes among the four relatives.

We used to see him perhaps once or twice a year and he always told my wife "there's something in my will for you" and on two occasions told her he'd "leave her his Kruggerands", 50 are mentioned in his will. But there's no mention as to what to do with them and my wife's not mentioned in his will at all, so the executors intend to just include their value with the rest of his estate. Our visits to him were always private affairs with no-one to witness what he'd said.

Would it appear mean and penny pinching to question the executor about this since there's no mention of the Kruggerands or my wife or his "promises" in his will? Am I just skating on incredibly thin ice with about as much chance as Ken Livingstone winning the Kensington seat in the next Parliamentary elections?

Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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I'm no expert but if it's not in his will then you haven't got a chance, especially as he's not even a blood relative.

Forget it.

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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You can ask, they can say no

Worth asking to confirm

2Btoo

3,410 posts

202 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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I understand you can ask for a variation to be made to a will post-death, which would need to be agreed by the executors. However if there is no reason for the executors to do such a thing (i.e. no other way of late Godfather having communicated his wishes) then it's unlikely to happen.

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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TwistingMyMelon said:
You can ask, they can say no

Worth asking to confirm
At the cost of potentially poisoning any future relationship with the living relatives perhaps, if that matters to OP.

With no witnesses to any of this I can't see how it would be interpreted as anything other than opportunistic money grabbing, even if it's 100% genuine. What's in the will counts, he obviously didn't care enough to formalise that offer.

dingg

3,974 posts

218 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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yes you are !


promises mean nothing the old duffer could have been telling them all the same about the coins


move on and forget about it

Martin_M

2,071 posts

226 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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Ultimately, if he wanted you or your wife to have anything then you would have thought he'd have made sure it was in his will.

elanfan

5,516 posts

226 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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You are basically asking the 4 distant relatives to gift you £40000 from their inheritance. Turn it around the other way if this was your uncle and some stranger told you that the old chap had promised you £40000 what do you think your reply would be - honestly?

You've got 2 hopes Bob hope and no hope!

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
dingg said:
yes you are !


promises mean nothing the old duffer could have been telling them all the same about the coins


move on and forget about it
yes People fighting over the possessions of a dead relative sickens me.

MrBarry123

6,025 posts

120 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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Sorry OP but yes, you are.

You're not mentioned in the will = no Krugerrands for you.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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Mr2Mike said:
yes People fighting over the possessions of a dead relative sickens me.
Me too but in the OP's case, it's not even a relative.



Edited by Riley Blue on Thursday 2nd July 17:19

GreatGranny

9,097 posts

225 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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Yes you are!

superlightr

12,842 posts

262 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
ColinM50 said:
SWMBO's Godfather died last year. He had no children, just four distant nephews and nieces on his late wife's side. When his wife died three years ago she left a lot of her jewellery to my wife, worth about £10k, thank you very much godmum.

As I said, Godfather died last year and left an appreciable estate, his flat and stocks and shares come to £2.7million which his will distributes among the four relatives.

We used to see him perhaps once or twice a year and he always told my wife "there's something in my will for you" and on two occasions told her he'd "leave her his Kruggerands", 50 are mentioned in his will. But there's no mention as to what to do with them and my wife's not mentioned in his will at all, so the executors intend to just include their value with the rest of his estate. Our visits to him were always private affairs with no-one to witness what he'd said.

Would it appear mean and penny pinching to question the executor about this since there's no mention of the Kruggerands or my wife or his "promises" in his will? Am I just skating on incredibly thin ice with about as much chance as Ken Livingstone winning the Kensington seat in the next Parliamentary elections?
strange I too just had a godfather who died with similar assets and he promised me that I would get his Kruggerands when I visited him in private although I was not written into his will. I presume he forgot. I would like to claim my gold please.
Perhaps its the same godparent? I wouldnt be suprised if the good old man said the same to quite a few on here as well. We all loved him you know.

Sheepshanks

32,527 posts

118 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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ColinM50 said:
We used to see him perhaps once or twice a year...
Hmmm...that's not very often.

We turned ourselves inside out for my wife's Godfather as he got older, and him and his wife, who died some years ago, almost regarded my wife as their daughter. They had no kids of their own.

But in his last few years distant (both in relationship and geographically) relatives did a good job of manipulating him even to the extent of taking him to his solicitor to maintain his will, and we were excluded from major decisions as we weren't "family", indeed we'd get regular calls from the relatives as if we were hired help.

Immediately he died they called his solicitor to a meeting to read the Will (the solicitor was a bit gobsmacked when he found out the funeral hadn't taken place!) and I must admit that no-one was more surprised than we were when it turned out my wife had been left half the residual estate (ended up being basically half the value of his house).

It wasn't that significant an amount of money, but I'd have been dismayed if it all gone to family.

jeremyc

23,335 posts

283 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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scratchchin If your wife is not mentioned in the will, then how do you know the Kruggerands are also not mentioned?

Have you already contacted the Executor to find out whether there was anything for her?

Muzzer79

9,806 posts

186 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
elanfan said:
You are basically asking the 4 distant relatives to gift you £40000 from their inheritance. Turn it around the other way if this was your uncle and some stranger told you that the old chap had promised you £40000 what do you think your reply would be - honestly?

You've got 2 hopes Bob hope and no hope!
This.

I'm sure your intentions are not to be a money-grabbing g*t, but you're on a hiding to nothing.

DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
jeremyc said:
scratchchin If your wife is not mentioned in the will, then how do you know the Kruggerands are also not mentioned?

Have you already contacted the Executor to find out whether there was anything for her?
You can access wills online now.

https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

CAPP0

19,530 posts

202 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
OP, SWMBO's godfather actually promised me the shares which he had.



You see, obviously what I just wrote above is ridiculous. But that's how it's going to sound if you ask the family. Perhaps the old boy looked at what the wife left your OH, which I guess would otherwise have stayed with him and become part of the overall estate when he died, and thought "well, they've had a nice little tickle from us already, that will do, I'll leave the KRs in the main estate".



Edited by CAPP0 on Thursday 2nd July 15:23

berlintaxi

8,535 posts

172 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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As others have said, yes you are being a money grabbing git.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
DJFish said:
jeremyc said:
scratchchin If your wife is not mentioned in the will, then how do you know the Kruggerands are also not mentioned?

Have you already contacted the Executor to find out whether there was anything for her?
You can access wills online now.

https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate
OT, however what would be the reason that my dad; who died in December, isn't on there?