When my grandmother in Minnesota passed away, I didn’t realize that she had marked a small cream and sugar set for me. It was my inheritance from her. Her daughters had been told to give these items to the name on the bottom, in the event of her death. This was the first time someone had set something aside for me to be delivered after they died. I attended her funeral, not realizing that she had marked that for me. In fact, most of the items in her home had been given a label so that, when she died, the item would go to the person she felt would appreciate it the most. I don’t remember it, however, my grandmother remembered me mentioning that I really like that set. So it became mine.
Can you imagine going through everything in your home and putting a post-it-note on each item so that everyone gets something? That would take a lot of time and would it hold up in court if someone protested? Possibly not. However, if it is part of your signed, notarized will, a person trying to challenge your desire would fail.
Continue reading “Bequeathing Your Assets – Both Large and Small”