writing / making a will

[wendychan]

ive delayed this for too long.
do not wish to bleed more money by going to a lawyer
been googling - its possible to self write one
have a few serious questions which i hope some others can shed light on

the will is very simple . i realise that if i do NOT have a will, my stuff goes to my next of kin, so obviously i have to specify who i would like the stuff to go to

1. can the witnesses be non singaporeans?
2. do the witnesses have to read the will before signing/witnessing?

now the major question - the executor.

1. if i have no one i can trust/ask, what is the best thing to do? go to a lawyer?

which means obviously i have to leave a copy of the will next to my dead body? or next to my mattress all the time?
or will the lawyer eventually hear of my death and of his own accord take out the will and start the process?
(im not planning to tell the beneficiaries who they are or give them a copy of the will)

this is my major worry. if the beneficiaries don't know who they are, then how will the will process be started?

 

[looneytan]

can I have your bike?

 

[wendychan]

can I have your bike?

thank you for reminding me.
i need to specify which bike shop to take the bike to to get it sold

 

[looneytan]

that mean _ no bike :(

 

[methink]

that mean _ no bike :(

why you want bike? her bike got no seat one, also want?

 

[slohand2]

ive delayed this for too long.
do not wish to bleed more money by going to a lawyer
been googling - its possible to self write one
have a few serious questions which i hope some others can shed light on

the will is very simple . i realise that if i do NOT have a will, my stuff goes to my next of kin, so obviously i have to specify who i would like the stuff to go to

1. can the witnesses be non singaporeans?
2. do the witnesses have to read the will before signing/witnessing?

now the major question - the executor.

1. if i have no one i can trust/ask, what is the best thing to do? go to a lawyer?

which means obviously i have to leave a copy of the will next to my dead body? or next to my mattress all the time?
or will the lawyer eventually hear of my death and of his own accord take out the will and start the process?
(im not planning to tell the beneficiaries who they are or give them a copy of the will)

this is my major worry. if the beneficiaries don't know who they are, then how will the will process be started?

Hi,
Im in very much the same predicament and have been dragging my feet. I was told by my lawyers that the executors can be non singaporeans. No mention about the witnesses as obviously the law office will be the witness if the will is done by them.

Obviously when we die, the executor, who is presumbly a trusted or close friend/kin will report the death, and the process will kick into place. I think it wiill be better to lodge it with a legal firm, who needs to formalise the executors role and provide him with the power of attorney.

Stressful if you were to ask me

 

[slohand2]

ive delayed this for too long.
do not wish to bleed more money by going to a lawyer
been googling - its possible to self write one
have a few serious questions which i hope some others can shed light on

the will is very simple . i realise that if i do NOT have a will, my stuff goes to my next of kin, so obviously i have to specify who i would like the stuff to go to

1. can the witnesses be non singaporeans?
2. do the witnesses have to read the will before signing/witnessing?

now the major question - the executor.

1. if i have no one i can trust/ask, what is the best thing to do? go to a lawyer?

which means obviously i have to leave a copy of the will next to my dead body? or next to my mattress all the time?
or will the lawyer eventually hear of my death and of his own accord take out the will and start the process?
(im not planning to tell the beneficiaries who they are or give them a copy of the will)

this is my major worry. if the beneficiaries don't know who they are, then how will the will process be started?

Therefore we need an executor, and the lawyers dont normally get into that role, as they come and go and you may outlast them. Ive been asking around as Im much in the same predicament.

Executors need not be Singaporean, witness will be the lawyer. When we kick the bucket, the executor, presumably a close confidante, will report the death, and the process will kick in. When the lawyer is the witness, then there is confidentiality. I presume that the executors role will need a power of attorney which is a legal document, so doing it yourself may not be effective.

The cost of writing a will is not that high (a couple of hundreds maybe) but becos of the legal process , i think it better to pay for the lawyer. Im still deliberating.

 

[Cestbon]

Hi,
Im in very much the same predicament and have been dragging my feet. I was told by my lawyers that the executors can be non singaporeans. No mention about the witnesses as obviously the law office will be the witness if the will is done by them.

Obviously when we die, the executor, who is presumbly a trusted or close friend/kin will report the death, and the process will kick into place. I think it wiill be better to lodge it with a legal firm, who needs to formalise the executors role and provide him with the power of attorney.

Stressful if you were to ask me

Legal firm better because someone will follow up.
Just few hundred $$$ only.

 

[wendychan]

Legal firm better because someone will follow up.
Just few hundred $$$ only.

Thanks all. The problem is still no one to be executor.
Also both beneficiaries are foreigners and one of them is still a minor at the moment

 

[slohand2]

Thanks all. The problem is still no one to be executor.
Also both beneficiaries are foreigners and one of them is still a minor at the moment

Executor is a thankless job. I was told by my lawyer, that the executor can also be a beneficiary, so maybe that is not so bad from that point of view. How I deal with minors as benefiary is that I willed it to a person I trust who will have a freehand to disburse it as he see fit. This is interim, becos as they grow, and as you survive, you can change the will. If it is not done the way I wanted, I guess I wouldnt know when Im already dead.