Last night I had to do one of those business chores that just has to be done, but I hate it.
I’ll try not to bore you with too much detail, but basically it involves computer security stuff that is equal parts weird, scary, frustrating and boring.
Much of it makes no intuitive sense, and there are traps for the unwary everywhere. It feels like tap-dancing into a minefield. Wearing a blindfold.
Here’s one more in our series of articles about Wonky Wills, Pathetic Probates and Disagreeable Deaths.
If you’re twisted like us, you might get a laugh out of some of the strange stuff people do at the end of their days …
#1 Tomas Martinez
67-year-old Tomas Martinez was living on the street in Santa Cruz de le Sierra, Bolivia, when he was approached by police officers who had good news for him. His ex-wife (whom he abandoned years earlier) had died and was leaving him her fortune of $6 million.
Martinez thought the police were there to arrest him for his drug and alcohol related issues, and he fled without hearing what they had to say.
An Executor is the person appointed in the Will of a deceased person with the lawful authority to administer the deceased estate.
An Executor has a special responsibility – known as fiduciary duty – to hold the estate in trust for the beneficiaries, and to act in the best interests of the estate.
Here are 7 things every Executor should do:
1.Consult a Senior Lawyer who Specialises in Deceased Estates
Unless the Will contains a specific direction, it’s up to the Executor to decide which lawyer to retain, but here’s a tip to keep in mind: A specialist lawyer will be faster and better for the estate and provide better protection for the Executor. Executors are performing a legal function, and there are hidden risks which can come back to bite the unwary Executor.
Here we go again, with more Wacky Wills, Poisonous Probates and Dreadful Deaths. If you’re twisted like us, you might get a smile out of some of the strange stuff people do at the end of their lives …
#1 Wellington Burt
US lumber tycoon Wellington Burt died in 1919. His Will directed that most of his fortune be put into a trust fund, which would only pay out 21 years after his last surviving grandchild passed away.
His immediate heirs, who had expected to receive his fortune, saw very little of it. When the trust vested in 2010, a fortune of around $110m (£67.5m) was shared amongst 12 beneficiaries, none of whom ever knew the man.
Here’s another in our series of articles about Weird Wills, Problematic Probates and Disturbing Deaths. If you’re twisted like us, you might get a chuckle out of some of the strange stuff people do at the end of their time on this mortal coil …
1. I say Hello and you say Goodbye
Anthony Scott, in his last will and testament wrote: ‘To my first wife Sue, whom I always promised to mention in my will. Hello Sue!’
2. Proper Conditions
The last will and testament of Edith S of Walsall included £50,000 to each of her children, Roger, Helen and Patricia. Their inheritance was not to be spent on ‘slow horses and fast women and only a very small amount on booze’.
Even though death is a serious subject, our most popular series continues for your morbid enjoyment. This time we’ve collected some macabre stories of people finding ways to die that might provoke a chuckle.
#1 Too much sex and Viagra, makes Jack a dead boy
Sergey Tuganov made a bet with two female acquaintances in 2009 that he could continue to satisfy them sexually for 12 hours straight. They took the bet, and a wild night began. In order to be sure he would win, Sergey downed a whole bottle of Viagra pills before he set to work.
The Wills of famous celebrities can teach us some valuable lessons about what NOT to do….
… because our last posts Weird Probate Issues and More Weird Probate issues were so popular, we have decided to create an entire series …
The Bottom Line – Some people are determined to have their final say in their strange Last Wills and Testaments. Have a smile at their attempts to ‘rule from beyond the grave’.
… because our last posts Weird Probate Issues and More Weird Probate issues were so popular, we have decided to create an entire series …
1. Ingrid Newkirk
Ingrid Newkirk is the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the organization that tries to keep humans from eating, wearing or being mean to animals. When Newkirk passes on, she instructs that her corpse be given over to PETA, and then things get weird.
Famous Last Words – Some people try to tell you that “you can’t take it with you,” but that doesn’t mean you have to go quietly into the night. A vital part of pre-death planning is composing a Last Will and Testament that clearly lays out who gets your stuff and your money. But some people also use them as a final “screw you” to the world. These people were determined to have their final say, with their strange Last Wills and Testaments.
… because our last posts Weird Probate Issues and More Weird Probate issues were so popular, we have decided to create an entire series …
Making a Will is serious business. It sets out your final wishes, determines who benefits from your estate, and protects the people you love. Yet the historical record is full of testators who approached the exercise with, shall we say, considerable imagination. This article continues our popular series on extraordinary probate cases drawn from estate law history.
We offer these not merely for entertainment, but because each case teaches a valuable lesson about what can go wrong when an estate plan is ill-conceived, ambiguously expressed, or legally deficient.