Anyone make a will?

[potatopie]

I'd like my H and I to make a will because a)our bank accounts are kept separate (he has mine, I have mine) and b) we've got DS to worry about now.

My question is, should we be doing something different/specific because of our international lifestyle? We have bank accounts in four different countries, and any guardian for DS would have to take him out of the country.

[VillainV]

Definitely make a will. A good estate/probate lawyer should be able to advise you about the bank accounts. The easiest way to fix this would just be to make all of the accounts joint accounts, regardless of who uses them (though I realize that can have tax implications, and can make it difficult to untangle your finances if you ever separate).

No matter how complicated you think it will be to make a will, I promise you it would be about a thousand times MORE complicated for anyone to carry out your wishes if you didn't have a will....

[pittpurple]

We made a will. We found out that without one, our daughter would automatically get taken into the UK foster care system since all of her guardians are American and she's British/American. So we very quickly had a will drawn up that will protect her. We don't have a huge amount to worry about financially, but it was good to talk through everything with someone who has knowledge in this. You should look for someone with international experience though - it was extra complicated with dual citizenship, we had to prove we were 'domiciled' in Scotland for the will to be binding and we needed to get executors who live here.

Good reminder actually that we need to sit down with our executors and show them where everything is!

[Deleted]

Yes we had one done here in the UK recently but we have been told we need to get another done for Canada and the property and accounts we have there.

So worth it to get it done. That and good life insurance! Helps me sleep better at night.

[potatopie]

jamaicam, how did you find a lawyer with that knowledge?

@bandwife, did you just have "regular" wills done in each country? which one dictates guardianships?