An Observation from an Obituary

I come across an obituary recently. The content (without mentioning names) is as follows:

1. Deceased : Mr XXX, age 53

2. Mother: Mdm XXX

3. Wife: Ms XXX

4. Daughters : Ms XXX and YYY

5. Sister: Ms ZZZ (Deceased)

6. Brother-in-law: Mr YYY

I can foresee that the Mdm XXX (the mother) is going to have a hard time. Both her son and daughter have died before her. I estimate her age to be in late 70s. If Mr XXX's estate plan does not provide for Mdm XXX, she will have to rely on her son in law and daughter in law financially. The situation could be bleak for Mdm XXX if the children in laws decided to re-marry.

Professionally, I always come across many couples make wills which exclude their parents, thinking that their parents would die before them. Life might not be that straight forward.

If you are reading this message now, I encourage you to re-look at your will and estate plan to allocate some of your assets to your parents. As the example shown above, you might go to heaven sooner than your Mom and Dad. For heaven sake, leave behind some financial security to them. This is love in action.