ANSWERS: 14
  • Your "will" is exactly that. There is no "should" in a will, it is at the discretion of the person writing it. In addition, I don't feel that parents should ever feel they are owed anything from their children for raising them or providing for them. It is a parent's duty to do so, without excpectation of of recompensation. They can hope that their son will make an effort to take care of them if they become ill or whatever, but in choosing to have a child, a parent should provide the best possible life and upbringing for their child without an ulterior motive. In this case, it would seem like a no-brainer that the Marine's parents should have made their own arrangements long ago to secure themselves financially, and that the Marine's current priority should be to provide security to his wife and imminent child in the event of his death.
  • I don't know who "they " are in your question but here is my view...insurance is for your loved ones, usually for you mate and children...but if he wants to....wants to mind you...include his parents...that is his prerogative... there are no set rules...if he wants to give them personal items that he sees fit to go to them...once again...prerogative....I wouldn't expect my children to include me in their will at all...but I do expect or should I say hope that they will see to my best interest when I can not.....
  • Marines are special people with a dangerous job. If he's not in a war zone already, he could be very soon. His is a low-paying job with a life insurance policy that is barely adequate. His wife and child are going to need every penny for that child's well-being and education if anything ever happens to him. That is his first responsibility. His parents have had their go in life and if they are in need they must get in line -- behind this Marine's wife and child.
  • Whaaaaat? Since when does raising a child entitle a parent/parents to their child's benefits when they become adults? His parents clearly do not understand that part of his raising a child is ensuring that in the event of his death that child is provided for.
  • Sounds like the parents have issues. No way no how should he include them in the will. Unless there is a family plot and he is to be interned there, then that instruction should be in the will. Just my two cents.
  • God forbid that anything should happen to him while he is in country, but if it should happen his wife and baby need to be taken care of. If his parents love him, they will accept the fact that what they get is a grandchild to love in his memory. I am a Marine and my parents had no problem with my wife being the beneficiary of my will. I pray for his safe return & that his wife doesn't ever have to raise their child on her own...but the parents are wrong. They raised a great person who knows that the right thing to do is to protect his wife and baby.
  • A will is different from Life Insurance. The insurance money is to provide for the child who may be left without a father. The will is to determine your possessions after you are gone. There may be things that hold value to the parent that the wife is not interested in. Those things should be divided accordingly as the man sees fit. The insurance money should go to the child.
  • That's entirely up to him, but as a parent of an adult child myself, I'd say that his only REAL responsibility in making a will is to make sure that his wife and child are cared for...not his parents.
  • The only reason they should be in his will is if they are the guardians of the child if something happens to BOTH of the child's parents. Then otherwise, the wife and child should be provided for first. IF this particular Marine has much more money than the average person and he wants to leave something for his parents then that is his choice.
  • His will is to protect his family if he cannot. Do his parents really need to be taken care of? I find that very odd.
  • This sounds like the parents are saying he 'owes' them something. Parenthood is about Love not debt. He should use his Will however he wishes but I would leave to my Wife and Children and certainly not to pressurising parents. :o)
  • Let them bitch. It's HIS will, not theirs.
  • If the Marine dies intestate (without a will), his belongings will go only to his spouse and living children. Each state has its own percentages of how much the spouse gets if there are children. The Marine can designate who will inherit in writing in a legally binding will; he should consult a lawyer licensed in the state in which he lives. If he chooses, he may leave something to his parents, but he cannot leave them all of his estate or his wife can contest the validity of the will and will most likely prevail. Mom and dad just better get used to the idea that raising a child does not have a financial payoff, only a spiritual one of a job well done.
  • In Australia, a will made BEFORE a marriage is no longer valid. Therefore the wife will get a large percentage and the rest is divided between the child / children. In making a will, the person must take in consideration that all dependents are taken care of. If this is not the case then the will is not worth the paper it is written on and can be contested. There are wonderful sites to go to on the internet. The wife has a duty to raise THEIR child / children. I feel it is VERY SELFISH if it is the parents who are urging the son to make the will in their favor. They had the son, and it was their responsibility to raise that son. He never asked to be born. The same as this child never asked to be born. It is the parents responsibility to raise THIS child. The wife will need every cent she gets if her husband dies. Who will pay for the funeral? Who will pay for the mortage? Who will pay for the child's education? etc etc. I do expect it won't be his parents!!!!!

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