An interview between Rod Genders (senior Australian lawyer specialising in Wills and estates) and Cheryl Cocks (mortgage broker with Aussie)
Welcome to EstatePlanner, the podcast that tells the truth about Wills, estates and guardianships in Australia. We all have loved ones that we care-for. As the Australian population ages, it is getting more important to protect ourselves, our family and our assets. Rod Genders is one of the most senior and respected lawyers in Australia,…
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.
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 …
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.
Modern family structures are more complex than at any previous time. Many Australians have children from more than one relationship, and may be in a subsequent marriage or domestic partnership with a partner who also has children of their own. Without careful estate planning, the competing interests of these various family members can produce outcomes upon your death that would cause you considerable distress if you could foresee them. This article explains why a well-drafted Will is indispensable for anyone with children from a previous relationship.
