Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Where There's a Will

Last night I attended a talk organised by Carmona Services at St John of Gods Glenageary. This talk specifically concerned the importance of making a will *especially* when you have a child with special needs.

The presentation was given by a solicitor John Costello who is also involved in St Michaels House and has a brother who is autistic and in full time care.

I must say I found the talk highly beneficial and this post is *my* interpretation of the information provided from my personal perspective.

Should this post already be too long here is the main point(s):-

Make a Will, not next week, contact your / a solicitor today!
  • Special needs or not make a will immediately. Contact a solicitor and do it now ! Get it? If you don't and you die bad things can happen (seriously some of his examples were frightening)
  • Appoint trustees. A trustee is an administrator of finances
  • Appoint guardians. A guardian is concerned with welfare of the child.
  • Consider putting in place a Discretionary Trust. The speaker said that this is vitally important however I am doing this de facto through my trustees
  • Consider a letter of wishes which outlines specific requirements.
Now I will take questions, yes you down the back?

2 comments:

Nan P. said...

Dad, you are so right to bring up this issue. It is unfortunately something most people do not want to think about. But, at the end of the day, making a will is not being morbid, it’s the most sensible thing to do. It’s like taking any kind of insurance, it’s nothing more than a contingency plan, just in case…

And strangely enough, I am just in the process of doing the same thing myself, amending my own will, and all because of Cathal – not because he is my first grand-child, but because he has less of a chance of acquiring full financial independence because of DS than other grandchildren who might come in the future.

Well done for having the courage of bringing up this topic.

On a lighter note, I believe Ava and Cathal are getting on famously well at their little “play-dates”…

Nick McGivney said...

Oh you're right I suppose grumble grumble mwlhghhhh etc

It's going on the list. Not to make it, but to amend it. Once upon a time we were quite organised and it got made. So we'll have to sort it, won't we?

Good post. Good advice.