It’s been a while since I posted about the weird clauses in estate planning history. I always say your Will needs to fit your unique needs, but these clients took that saying a little too literally.
Here are some strange instructions left in an Estate Plan, according to Google:
Seventy strangers
When Portuguese aristocrat Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara wrote up his will, he left his considerable fortune to 70 strangers randomly chosen out of a Lisbon phone directory.
Pet trust and charities
Oprah established a trust with $30 million for her pet dogs to continue receiving excellent treatment and care. She plans to give the bulk of her $3 billion estate to charitable causes.
His wife only if she remarried
Heinrich Heine, a poet from Germany, left his widow Mathilde all of his money under one condition: she could inherit it only if she remarried. Heinrich explained his strange stipulation: “Because then, at least one man will regret my death.” So talk about having the last word. Ouch.
Twenty-one years after the last grandchild dies
Wellington Burt, a magnate from Michigan, died in 1919, leaving a very unusual request. He stipulated that his massive wealth would be inherited by his descendants only 21 years after his last grandchild died. Burt’s last surviving grandchild died in 1989. Twenty-one years later, in 2011, 12 far-removed relatives of the eccentric merchant have finally been paid out. Each of them got about $110 million.
Mom with the most babies
Charles Millar, a Canadian attorney, died a childless bachelor, but he left $568,106 to the mother who gave birth to the most children in Toronto in the ten years following his 1928 death. This bequest prompted what Canadians called “the Baby Derby” as mothers raced to win the fortune. In 1938 four winners split the prize after giving birth to nine babies apiece.
All joking aside, if you are putting your Estate Plan together, always get advice from a trusted professional.
Heidi S. Webb, Attorney at Law, serves clients in Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, and beyond with matters of Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Small Business Law. Contact her today to schedule a free consultation. Visit her page on Facebook, or see what her clients are saying to learn more about Heidi.
