Ahead of Talk Money Week Quilter calls for more conversations around taboo topics such as money and mental health.A poll conducted by YouGov for Quilter asked UK adults if they felt comfortable talking to their friends and family about a number of topics. The research revealed the nation is reluctant to talk about their financial and mental well-being.*Issues around debt and mental health aren’t mutually exclusive, as research from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute shows the more debt people have, the more likely they are to have mental health problems.Current estimates show only 17% of over-indebted people – of whom there are 8 million in the UK – seek advice. Part of the problem is that people in debt may feel embarrassed and unwilling to seek help. However, without advice, they’re less able to dig themselves out of the problem which then escalates and preys on their mind.Quilter is campaigning against stigma around the traditionally taboo nature of money and mental health by supporting Talk Money Week and Time to Change.Paul Feeney, CEO of Quilter says: “People often have a perception that everyone else’s life is more perfect than their own, which is not the case. I have had my own mental health issues and I have learned it’s okay to talk about them.“It’s important to me that we build environments where it’s okay to not be okay, because the more we talk about problems, the easier it will be to share experiences, pool ideas and help each other.“These taboos extend to financial issues and are often inter-related; meaning generations have grown up without having frank conversations about money. Talk Money Week encourages people to talk about their finances in the hope it will demystify money and dilute some of the stigma about those discussions.”To hear more from Paul on mental health see his video interview with Citywire *Poll conducted by YouGov of 2,000 UK adults
| Topic | % of UK adults comfortable discussing |
| Physical Health | 62% |
| Marriage/Relationships | 50% |
| Death | 49% |
| Wills | 45% |
| Mental Health | 45% |
| Savings | 42% |
| Pay/Salary | 40% |
| Power of Attorney | 39% |
| Mortgage | 37% |
| Inheritance | 37% |
| Other Debt | 22% |
| None of these | 8% |
| Don’t know | 5% |
| Prefer not to say | 6% |
| Chose not to answer | 2% |
We are often asked who has a right to see the Last Will and testament and the law in this area is rather peculiar, and if the author ran the country, many laws in the area of estate planning would be reformed to bring in some common sense. But I digress… More on Probate Disputes. Probate Claim Checker. Probate Quotes
My Dad passed away at the end of June. When he made his will several years earlier he asked me to be executor of his will and I agreed. Not understanding much I didn’t ask his wife, my stepmother, where I would get the will from to find out what he wanted until after he was cremated. Her reply was that she was sole executor and beneficiary and I would only have to step in only if she preceded him. She never let us see it. Being naive I thought I had no reason to disbelieve her. Just lately things seem to not be adding up and to top it off the funeral directors have contacted my brother and me to say she has not paid the funeral bill. I just would like to know where we would stand and if it is too late to see the will and where we would have to go to obtain a copy because we knew she will refuse to let us see it herself. Will we need to apply to probate or are we too late?
If your dad married after the Will was made, it was probably invalidated and he may have made a new one.If not, if he owned the home in his sole name, probate will be required, and once that is granted you will have the opportunity to see the Will once that is completed. But unless the executors chose to let you see a copy, you will have to get a copy Will the same as any other member of the public can once probate has been granted. To see how to see the Will after probate has been granted, click the link. If probate is not required, then you won’t be able to obtain a copy unless the executors decide to give you one.If the property was owned with the step mother, then it will depend on the type of ownership, as one way the step mother would inherit automatically (so no probate needed) the other way she would not and probate would be required.See http://www.theprobatedepartment.co.uk/your-probate-questions/inherit-the-house/The other alternative is to contact the person who made the Will, and they may confirm that nothing is wrong or if you are a named executor, they will give you a copy. As a beneficiary they may well too, or at least confirm whether you are mentioned in the Will, but you don’t have any rights, so you can’t demand information. Remember that a new Last Will could have been made, or a Codicil written cancelling or amending the previous Will.As the debts are not being paid you could possibly apply for letters of administration to sort out the estate. This would inevitably be contentious and we could certainly refer you to a firm who would advise you as we don’t deal with contentious estates. (That is ones where there will be a dispute!) However, we can put in a Caveat which is in effect an attempt to force the other side to talk to you, but that won’t work if probate is not required, and you may need to justify your suspicions that things are not being handled correctly.It may be of course that she just has no money.Let me know if you would like to be contacted, and good luck!Steve