Quote:
Originally Posted by speakingtohe
While I generally agree with you on most issues I can't quite see this one for most people.
I am older and know many people who care very little about their current financial status due to senility or apathy. My Mother is one of them.
Her attitude is literally who cares?
I never gave it much thought before this thread, but how many do?
And how might this be accomplished for all electronic media. A clause in the will stating that you want all of your storage devices destroyed unread? Seems silly as anyone who could actually use this stuff could probably get it elsewhere. Still ones conscience would perhaps be clear.
Hopefully this will not be my final thought before I pop off. Like wondering if you left the kettle on.
I am of the opinion that most smaller things should be given before death, to people who actually want them. If it is ever legal to will them it will be legal to give them. If legality doesn't matter, why wait and put the entire burden of morality on your legatees when they are already stressed by your death.
Helen
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Can I say first off that I should have clarified at the beginning of my post that I was aiming it as a discussion for all (and not at you! ooops ...)
Re the clause in the Will identifying what is to become of eproperty, forum memberships, web accounts (including say ebook store accounts etc etc) then yes, I do think that appropriate. The clause could state that these accounts be closed for example, and that access to close them be gained via the passwords that had been left as part of the Will.
And oh yep, my mother who still has all her faculties also (in her words) 'can't be bothered' with much these days, particularly with 'red tape'. So yes, it's left to me even now when she's alive to handle all her administrative etc events.
I agree with you re giving away property, real/digital, while a person is still capable of doing so, but that doesn't always happen, eg sudden death (say via car accident) of a person in their 30's (or whatever youngish age).
My grandmother died in her 90's and she gave a lot away as her years progressed, and basically everything upon her death was 'thrown out' in one way or another eg charity bins etc. But she didn't have a digital footprint, whereas it would be unusual for an under sixty year old person today not to. (And over sixty years it's not too uncommon to have a digital footprint either.)
So, yes I think it's a matter of importance to leave instructions as to how to delete and otherwise get rid (as in distribute or destroy) digital property. I know that my greater family has had some 'interesting' fall outs due to the distribution of Wills, and even the currency of a Will, as in which was the most current version and who potentially caused a Will to be rewritten in their favour and how competent was the deceased at the time of re-writing etc. (Ahh yes, families ....
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