How would I go about giving my estate to the Church?

[Riman643]

Are you serious? Just look at what @VonDerTann said. Very disrespectful and insulting. He disagrees with how I want to give my money (to the Church btw) which is fine but to attack my character and my prospects for finding a spouse is unwarranted and frankly quite rude.

 

[CaptainPrudeman]

Frankly, he’s right. It’s not rude to point out some of the glaring issues in your personality and priorities that will all but block you from anything romantic. You’ve got more things to worry about than money you don’t have. That’s his point.

 

[Riman643]

I really don’t but if you want to dogpile the negativity on me like the others here than go ahead. It would be nice to have some respect and civility is all. Apparently that is too much to ask on this forum.

 

[CaptainPrudeman]

We are presenting your issues in a respectful and civil way. Comments like the one that caused me to join in are the uncivil ones.

You came to a forum filled with people older than you, then asked multiple questions which betrayed your lack of life and social experience. You then refused to listen to anyone when they tried to assist you in understanding how that gap makes you think incorrectly about certain things. We are not antagonizing you. We are trying to help you. We can’t do that if, in pride, you blind yourself and refuse to change your worldview.

 

[Riman643]

I disagree. My earlier comment was wrong and that is why I deleted it and was rightfully called out. Besides that though, I have only been harassed. I guess we will just have to leave it at that though because we clearly disagree. I wish the best to you but I need to block the negativity I am receiving on this site so I will be blocking you. God bless

 

[CaptainPrudeman]

Suit yourself. You’ll only go so far in life with an attitude like yours. Trust me, I know. I’ve been you.

 

[Irishmom2]

Here is one more thing to throw into the mix…

When you marry, the money is not yours alone. If you have a wife, you will both decide what to do with your income.

Good luck finding a woman that is going to let you be in charge of every aspect of financial planning on your own.

Pretty sure your wife could give the money to your children if she wants, if you leave it to her in the event you die first.

 

[RolandThompsonGunner]

I really don’t but if you want to dogpile the negativity on me like the others here than go ahead. It would be nice to have some respect and civility is all. Apparently that is too much to ask on this forum.

You really need to learn not to interpret friendly advice and constructive criticism as insults and personal attacks. People are just trying to help you and you’re being incredibly thin-skinned.

 

[Shasta-Rose]

If I have any children I will raise them well enough where they do not need an inheritance and can provide for themselves.

Actually, I approve of this thinking. I have a friend who is one of four girls whose parents were very well off. They were told that they were being given the best education and sent to the best universities, whichever ones the girls chose, and everything would be paid for four years. Whereupon, they had to be self-supporting, because all support would cease then. Four years to make the best preparation, then on your own. They all took it to heart, worked like beavers, and all made good lives for themselves.

When the parents died, decades later, the four did inherit quite a bit, but this was after they had led productive lives in good professions. I think this is better than having Junior sitting around the house when he’s fifty, waiting and hoping for Mom to die so he can finally get his hands on her bank accounts.

 

[signit]

I think it’s great your thinking about this at such a young age!!!

I do, too.

Never too old or too young to be thinking about it.

More good advice, especially the part about “legally and correctly.”

25 is not “old” and honestly, unless you are currently in possession of a lot of money through some inheritance/ trust fund/ business venture, you have quite a while before you need to worry about this. You might want to focus on more immediate life concerns.

This is key.

If you already have a substantial amount of assets, this is something you want to take care of right now.

It’s something people don’t like to think about, but real life has a way of happening. And when it happens, the result might not be the one you’d like. I know I’d rather see my house sold and the money go to one of my favorite charities than see it go to pay for luxuries for relatives.

You’ll want to update your will and trust every few years or whenever a change occurs in your life that may affect your estate planning.

This is also key.

Estate planning is a continuous process.

As a single adult with no dependents you might say “I’m going to leave everything to my Church” and have your will/trust drafted accordingly.

A few years later, with a substantial income and investments, and with a spouse and children, you might want to update your arrangements accordingly.

Good luck.

 

[whatistrue]

If I have any children I will raise them well enough where they do not need an inheritance and can provide for themselves.

A laudable goal and one that I wish more parents had. Please consider, however, the possibility that one or more children might be (or become) disabled in such a way that they are simply not capable of ever becoming self-supporting. A severe intellectual disability, for example.

 

[farronwolf]

I really don’t but if you want to dogpile the negativity on me like the others here than go ahead. It would be nice to have some respect and civility is all. Apparently that is too much to ask on this forum.

People telling you that things aren’t as you perceive them to be is not dog piling negativity on you.

If you live in a community property state, it is only half your money, or half your house or whatever if you are married. Additionally, if not properly lined out in a will or trust, in some states, your children automatically get half of your estate, and your spouse gets the other half. Either way, if it is left to them at your death, they can do whatever they want with it.

Are you a member of the KofC? The whole purpose they were started was to be able to care for widows and children through their insurance program. A breadwinner dying without making adequate provisions for their wife and children is a bad, bad thing. Fr. McGivney realized that and did something about it.

Turn this around. Say you get married, have a couple of kids at home, you and your wife both work. You all have managed to save up some money, in the bank and retirement plans but not a bunch. Say you both make about the same amount of money contributing half each to the household finances. Then she dies unexpectedly.

How do you continue to live the lifestyle you planned for based on two incomes, providing for the children, keeping the house and utilities paid? Now add to that the your wife decided to give her half to some charity and wipes out half of the cushion you both had put back. How long would the cushion have lasted with half the income coming in? How much shorter time will it last with half the cushion gone and half the income coming in? NOT LONG.

It is great that you want to plan to give back to the Church. Nothing wrong with that. However, there are lots of ways to do that. At your age, you have way more time than money I would imaging. The rest of us that are way closer to retirement age than college age did when we were in our 20’s. For now, giving of time to the Church or charitable acts will go a long, long way, both for yourself, and for others that see a young person living life as Christ asked us to.