In this article a Financielle community member selflessly shares her emotional experience of losing her Dad and his inheritance.
You recently shared a personal story with the community about a family member not having a will. Tell us more.
My father was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August 2025 at the age of 63 less than two weeks before he passed. He didn’t wish to tell his children as they weren’t in contact at the time. Two days before he passed he married his partner of 4 years whilst on palliative care.
He had never made a will and his wife automatically became his executor, taking control of his finances and personal belongings.
How has this impacted you as a family?
It’s extremely difficult dealing with grief and also not having any access to his belongings, putting trust into someone who’s a stranger to do the right thing by his family. Something as simple as requesting clothing items was never granted and you don’t have anything to keep for your memories.
Did you know this type of thing could happen before it happened to you?
We knew he talked about making a will but as he was unmarried his children would have automatically been beneficiaries in his estate and we didn’t realise at the time just how much control his wife would have over his belongings and estate or the prior rights she would have in his estate. The law protects spouses but we never imagined that although by law she was entitled to inherit almost all of his estate that she would actually take it all.
What would you like the Financielle community to know/do after your experience?
I think it’s extremely important, regardless if you have children, that you create a will to express your wishes after you have gone. It takes away the worry your family and friends would have in guessing where you would like any assets or items to be passed too while grieving. It also gives you peace of mind that any instructions you leave will be taken care of how you wish.
Have you put something in place personally to protect yourself and your loved ones?
I am currently trying to get a will in place through Octopus Legacy* and my partner is also looking into one to make sure our family is protected. This has also encouraged my mother to put a will in place as seeing and experiencing first hand how not having one in place can lead to people taking advantage and additional stress and impact to mental health it causes to loved ones is something I don’t want my family to go through. It never crosses your mind that not having a will would have any impact as you trust that your loved ones will do what is best, unfortunately it’s not always the case.
This story is a timely reminder to have ‘those’ difficult conversations with loved ones about what we want to happen to our assets and belongings when we die.
It’s not always about money, but about our personal belongings and our wishes and making sure those are carried out.
Having regular chats with our loved ones on these topics can in some cases help to make things clear – although it is not always possible especially where relationships may be strained. Here are some helpful scripts from the Financielle team that may make these discussions easier:https://financielle.com/2025/02/27/how-to-talk-about-wills-life-insurance-without-it-feeling-awkward/
If you want to make a will, you can with our friends at Octopus Legacy here*
*indicates a tracked link, which tells our partner that we sent you and may in the future result in a payment or benefit to our site.