Bev's story: 'I created my will to help protect my young daughter'
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When Bev, her husband and daughter moved from South Africa to Auckland recently, getting a valid will in this country was top of mind.
Not because Bev and her husband had large assets — they didn’t — but they wanted to make sure they had named a testamentary guardian for their teenage daughter, in case both parents died.
For Bev, it was a way to help safeguard her daughter’s future.
What's a testamentary guardian?
You might be wondering what a testamentary guardian is? It’s someone you name in your will to help make big decisions about your child’s life, like their education, religion, health, and where they live, if your child is under 18. You can read more about it here: Every parent needs to know about guardianship
The reason Bev made her will
Bev explains: “As fairly new arrivals, we don’t have much cash and not many assets, aside from a very not-new car. Our main concern was, ‘What would happen to our daughter if something happened to us?’ That was the sole reason of creating our wills.”
Bev and her husband had already spoken to the people they wanted to make these important decisions for their daughter, but all agreed that it was important to “get it in writing”.
“Once it was done, signed and uploaded, the relief was immense,” Bev says.
Wills aren't just about assets
Creating her will also gave Bev the opportunity to include her wishes for sentimental items.
“There was a specific ring I wanted my son (now 26, living in the United States) to have and a specific ring I wanted my daughter to have.”
Bev’s mother died recently, and her father died when she was just a teenager.
“When someone dies, there’s a lot of trauma involved, whether it’s accidental or whether you saw it coming,” Bev explains.
“Nobody wants to have to fight over stuff or think, ‘What now?’. There’s too much to deal with already. I just wanted to try to take that uncertainty away from them.”
Was it hard to have these challenging conversations about the future with her family?
Bev explains: “My daughter doesn’t even want to think about it happening, and I get that, she’s young. She’s aware that I was 16 when I lost my dad. And she often says to me, ‘I can’t even fathom…’, and you can’t until it happens to you.”
“I want the people I’ve left behind to have as little hassle and stuff to deal with as possible.”