We received a call from an elderly couple who were interested in the preparation of a Will. The consultant made arrangements to meet with them late in the morning on the following Wednesday. Upon arrival, the couple introduced themselves as George and Mary. After some small talk about their family, especially their numerous grandchildren, the consultant began the interview for the preparation of the Will. He quickly discovered that they had never had a Will although they were both in their 70s, and it also became clear that the husband was somewhat resistant to the discussion.
Going through the questionnaire with the couple started off normal enough, however a major hurdle soon revealed itself when the question of how the estate was to be distributed was posed. Both spouses stared uneasily around the room, and at the floor. Evidently the consultant had stumbled upon the reason for the delay in getting an Estate Plan in place throughout all these years.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts for agreement or even discussion on this question, Mary piped up that perhaps a bowl of soup, since it was about lunch time, would provide a bit of time to reflect on this question. Mary quickly produced some soup from the fridge, and set about warming it up for lunch. In an attempt to get George talking again, the consultant asked about the grandchildren. George beamed as a talked about each one in turn. Suddenly he stopped and a discouraged look washed over his face. Mary clearly tensed as the silence continued, but George eventually began to speak again. The words came slowly at first, but as the story of he and his daughter’s disagreement and estrangement from many years ago was shared ….. the words began to tumble out as his emotion intensified.
George’s resistance to the creation of a Last Will and Testament was as a result of the broken relationship with his daughter. It became clear that he saw the act of finalizing this document as an ultimate confirmation of this hurting relationship. As George concluded the story, the burden he had carried for so long seemed to melt away with the tears. With a quiver in his voice, but to the sheer delight of his wife, George declared that he would not stand in the way of his daughter receiving a share of the estate.
Although everyone’s story is unique, what is not unique is that there are often impediments to deciding to proceed with the preparation of an Estate plan. Although in some cases it could simply be procrastination, we do encounter a few cases where the hurdle can seem impossible to clear. What is the reason the preparation of a Will has been on your to do list for so long?
