Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Getting married later in life
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Old 04-12-2021, 09:54 AM
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zendog3 zendog3 is offline
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A bit more complicated than you may think. My wife has more money than I and she wants her estate to go to her children after we both die. But we both want me to live the life I now live if she passes first. Our agreement is: If she dies first I can live in the house. If I am lonely here and want to move to be near my children, I can sell the house and buy where I chose, but after I die, that house sells and the proceeds go to her children. Same if I am forced to go into long-term care. I can sell the house and use the proceeds to pay for care until I die, then the remainder of the estate goes to her children.

Think of it this way: For me, the house is the place I live for the rest of my life. The place I live may be someplace other than TV. For her children, the house is a non-cash part of their estate that they will probably liquidate after we are both dead.

Few people want to leave their spouse poor while their children have plenty, nor do they want to force their spouse to live in a house that does not fit. For example, if my wife dies first, I may very well want to sell our big house and move into a smaller villa home.

Chances are small that both my wife and I will die at the same time, but we both want part of our estate to secure a good life for our spouse before the remainder of the estate passes to our children. It is a little tricky to do that, but your lawyer can make it happen. Don't leave it up to an oral agreement. When we get old, we may become demented and vulnerable to people who do not care for our younger agreements. A clearly written will can prevent a lot of family squabbles after death.