Many people assume that as long as they have a will, then everything will be fine if they pass away. Unfortunately, a person’s wishes may change drastically throughout the course of his or her life, and an old will may contain outdated directives — sometimes with devastating effects for the ones you love. Just such a situation arose recently because a mother neglected to update her will, posing a serious threat to her daughter and grandchildren.
The woman in question created a will several years ago, directing the administrator to sell her home and liquidate her assets in order to provide for the education of her several grandchildren. However, that was before her daughter and grandchildren came to stay in with her following a particularly difficult divorce. While the woman intended to update her will to reflect the change, she never did.
Unfortunately, her good intentions to amend the will may not be enough to keep her previous wishes from being honored. Under the existing will, her house is set to be sold — the very same house that her daughter and grandchildren currently live in. If the sale goes through, her surviving daughter and grandchildren may be put out on the street with no immediate affordable options for housing.
If you think this kind of think can’t happen to you, you are sorely mistaken. Wills are powerful legal documents, and once you pass away or become incapacitated, there are very few options for your survivors outside of honoring your stated wishes. If you need to update your will, don’t hesitate to reach out to an attorney who can help you keep your loved ones safe and keep your will current.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, “Outdated will leaves daughter, four grandkids facing eviction Saturday,” Dean Narciso, July 14, 2017
