Finally the reading of the Will

The events before the meeting with the Public Curator

two weeks ago we had a meeting.  I was told I was to discuss the idea of my brother taking care of my affairs in case anything happened to me.  It was to be a basic signing a document, so that he could do things like pay the rent if I got sick or make sure the bank fees are paid.  Or do any outstanding bills.

Also there was to be the formal signing of the family wills.

He said, before the meeting, write down all your questions on it so that the notary could answer.

A little signing of a paper.  A small state of affairs.  So I come with eight carefully phrased questions. This little paper which took me all of eight minutes to read, took the whole two weeks to compile and when I came to the meeting, it was not finished.

My Questions and Concerns at the Meeting with the Public Curator

So I read my questions.  They were mostly questions that were asked about how I could make sure that my own safety was kept care of..  One by one, the notary refused to anwer them and said they were inapporpriate to the situation.  These questions raised serious concerns about my personal safety if I gave my brother  access to my financial affairs.

Finally the document they want me to sign was named, This small document is the Power of Attorney.  Among other things, as I can see (I asked for a copy) it says my brother can administer my affairs without asking me and take and receive things for me without my knowledge). In other words he has free access to all the money in my bank accounts.  He can take what he wants without my permission.  Anytime.

Why I didn`t want to sign the document

I really had no desire to sign any such document. My brother has been working furiously with my mother for a long time now.  He has been refining the house and keeping care of her in the best comfort she could have as she dies.  Thank God he and his family were there.

He has also been making sure that the estate is taken care of according to the wishes of my mother (him).  And that his wife and children are kept care of.  This is a large responsability and I do not see there is much left to keep care of for myself.  For example in the whole extensive estate I do not think i will have anything physical to inherit to remember my parents.

My blog on the Estate

 My brother says that the whole estate is full of ."junk". This junk which my brother says no one wants. So I wrote a blog about the "junk" that my parents surrounded themselves with,
 In it are many photographsa large description of the house and what inside it. there are also stories about the social life of my father and mother.

I always knew that there was a chance malicious others would use the blog for their own  purposes. For example many people have mentioned it might encourage theft.

But I had a choice. I could remain silent.  And let people assume that I didn`t know the value of the estate.. t this would give the people the impression that I do not want or desire a house and thye beautiful things that are necessary for elegant living.

This is far from the case.  As a matter of fact, in the past, this assumption has caused me a great deal of anguish.

My fathers estate   

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My father made an enormous amount of money in the few days he had left.  enough to be buried according to his wishes.  Even more he had enough money to donate a whole brand new graveyard to the Jewish people so that he could be buried with style and grace.

What  he would do with the money

What was more there was a large amount of money left after all his wishes were granted so that he could leave some money to others after he, my brother and myself were taken care of.

What happened to all that money?

I never heard anything about this either.  What happened to this enormous sum of money remains a mystery except that I have no contact with all the wonderful people that accompanied him and myself on his final voyage.  I never saw them again.  Nor again, say anything of the money.  Except a large graveyard where he buried with only his grave saying he ever existed.  Or created and paid for the graveyard.

Several years after his death we Create several important documents

First Meeting: Deciding what will go into the documents

So what happens?   We have a meeting to write the contract of Power of attorney in which any questions asked can be answered and the documents would be created according to what was decided..

Anything I asked to included is refused by no other than the very high Public Notary.  A very important, distinguished woman.  Brilliant and powerful.  Nothing I ask for can be done.  Everything I asked for in inappropriate.

She says we have to meet again so that I can sign the power of attorney to my brother.   My brother says he wants my mother to come and we arranged a meeting. It would be my brother, his wife, my mother and the Public Curator.

Second Meeting: Signing  the Final Documents  

So two weeks later, yesterday, we met.  There were several documents to be signed.  Although I am told that the power of attorney should be given to someone else only as a last resort,I gave the power of attorney to my brother and his wife.  Are relationship is strained but I am functionally mute and do not have a single other person to do this.  The Public Curator says that to be under his jurisdiction should be avoided at all costs.  So I have no choice and I sign the power of attorney to my brother and his wife.

The terms of my Mothers will

My mother comes up with the will.  these are the terms.

My brother and his wife will be left the very expensive city house and I am sure everything in it.  All the valuable, antiques etc.. This is a huge part of the estate.  They already have many thing including the  two cars (my fathers was brand new) and everything they want in the house. Certainly they have use of all the things in both houses.  I have not received anything from the estate nor am I using anything that is in it.

My mothers will says after this has been given, cart blanch, to my brother and his wife, I will have half of everything else in the estate. Divided equally between me and by brother.  the country house, the business the industrial building and the monies.

I will be given to live off every month a pension of $1500.00 to be regulated by my brother. The rest of the money is to be put in trust and I cannot touch it.  At the end of my life it will go to his children.
The money will be invested and it will be regulated by my brother. If the investments go up it will go up.  The money will be invested by a stock broker.  They explained that I will be receiving $1500 a month for the rest of my life and this a large sum of  $300,000.00. So that's a large sum. And thats all I will get.

The problem with my mothers Will

Nothing of the estate will be left to me: no jewelry, no mementos, no computer, no furniture. Nothing.

First of all this is a sum that is below the poverty line.  Second of all I am to relay on the judgement of my brother. As it stands now I have received nothing from the estate at all.

What they have decided,him and my mother, that it is guaranteed that I will have money, dependent on his generosity to live on the poverty line as it stands today without being indexed for inflation until the rest of my life.

I will have nothing else from the estate that I can use according to my will. Unless I discuss with my brother.  At this time I refuse to do it.

He, however, can do whatever he likes . I have no say at all what happens with anything that remotely resembles "my half".

i took along time to curse them roundly.

About the Poverty Line

$1500.00 a month is a sum that is below the poverty line.  This means that I will have to rely on my brother and his familys judgement.

There has already been talk about myself not giving enough to the family.  There has been talk about the proper role of a spinster (myself) is to work »(unpaid) for the family.  there has already been talk of my cleaning their house and keeping care of the children, without talk of the amount of the hours demanded.  This has been interpreted as myself not giving enough to the family.

If I do not maintain connections with the family, even if the relationship deteriorates into an exploitative one, I will not be able to live a life with even the basic necessities.

One of the direct results of my brother and  my mother handling the estate is that there is no money given to transporting some of the possessions my mother does not use to me.  This is what is happening now because my mother lives only on the bottom half of the house.   I am afraid that there is a large probability this will continue in the future.

And I wonder if its legal to provide a "pension" before the poverty line. I am to live without even the social welfare system to bear witness to what will happen.

Accept the terms of My mothers will or to refuse it?

If I refuse the will  I will be retired from the last resort financial assistance i have now.  I also will not be entitled to get any support from the family.  they will not have to do this after sixty four years old.  this means I will have to wear the clothes of  a life long pauper.  This is why I think the sum is $1500.  This means I am a dedicated pauper. And to me this intolerable.  Unfortunately it is my experience that what is intolerable to myself is not necessarily thought as important to a sometimes merciliess system.