There was a rather humorous estate plan where a person left their old vinyl record collection to a local music store. But they stipulated that the music store had to have a 'vinyl listening party' every week for a year. The store owner was in a bit of a quandary as they had to figure out how to make this work. Another story is about a woman who bequeathed her extensive costume jewelry collection to her nieces. She had made a list that paired each piece of jewelry with a specific niece based on what she thought suited them. But some of the nieces disagreed with her choices, leading to some very animated discussions among the family.
One of the most memorable funny estate planning stories involves a person who left their collection of garden gnomes to their neighbors. The neighbors were a bit bemused as they had to find space for all these gnomes in their own gardens. And then there was a man who left a small fortune to his dog. He arranged for the dog to have a personal butler in the form of a hired caretaker. The caretaker had to follow a strict routine of walking the dog, feeding it the finest dog food, and even reading it bedtime stories. It was quite a sight to see this well - pampered dog living a life of luxury according to the estate plan.
A memorable one is about a man who left his collection of old hats to different friends. He had written detailed descriptions of each hat and who should get it. The friends had to gather and sort through the hats, and there were some hilarious debates over which hat was which as described in the will. Another is when a woman left her knitting supplies to her knitting club. But she had so many different types of yarn that it took days to divide them up fairly.
One memorable story is when an estate agent was showing a house and a cat that lived there jumped on his head out of nowhere. He just continued talking as if it was normal. Another is an agent who misread the address and took clients to the wrong house entirely. They all had a good laugh when they realized the mistake.
There was this one house that had a very strange feature. The toilet in the bathroom was right next to a huge window with no curtain. One day, the owner was using the toilet and saw his neighbor having a barbecue and looking right at him. It was super embarrassing but also really funny.
Sure. There was a man who left his entire estate to his cat. He had a detailed plan for the cat's care, including a trust fund for food, vet bills, and a luxurious cat condo. Another story is about a woman who left her antique spoon collection to be divided among her neighbors. But she had so many spoons and specific instructions that it led to some comical disputes over which spoon was the rarest.
One horror story is when a person tried to DIY their estate plan without proper legal knowledge. They wrote a will that was very vaguely worded. After they passed away, their family members ended up in a huge fight over the interpretation of the will. Some thought certain assets were meant for them while others disagreed, leading to costly court battles.
One common horror story is when a person passes away without a will. Their assets may be distributed in a way they would never have wanted. For example, their family might fight over possessions, and the court may decide to split things in a way that doesn't consider the deceased's true wishes. Another is when the executor of the estate turns out to be untrustworthy. They could embezzle funds or mismanage the property, leaving the beneficiaries with less than they should have received. Also, incorrect beneficiary designations can lead to disasters. For instance, if an old beneficiary is still named on an account and the person meant to change it but didn't, the wrong person could get the money.
In 2020, my local community organized a drive - by birthday parade for a 90 - year - old neighbor. The cars were all decorated with balloons and signs. But one car's balloons got loose and started flying all over the place. It was chaos but also really funny. It made the old man laugh a great deal.
One memorable one is about a man who left his beloved old hat to his parrot in his will. The parrot would then perch on the hat and cackle as if it knew it was now the owner of this special hat.
Well, there's a story where a person called 911 because their ice cream cone melted too fast. They were so distraught over losing their treat that they thought it was a major crisis. Another is when someone called because their cat was stuck on the roof, but the cat came down right as the firefighters arrived. It was hilarious.
One story is about an agent who accidentally locked himself in a closet during an open house. He was yelling for help but no one heard him for hours until the next showing. It was really embarrassing for him.
The one where a cat got stuck in a box and thought it was being sneaky while everyone could see it. It was quite funny.