I disagree.  I think it's extremely patronising to the elderly to suggest
age as a clear determinant:"They've had their innings"  How do we know this?
Perhaps it is a person, an older woman, say, who has never had the chance
before (because she was bringing up children, tending to her husband and
parents), or the resources, to do what she pleases and is enjoying her life
far more than someone younger.  Whereas there are quite a few young people
out there who clearly have a death wish.  Surely it is the psychological
situation of the individual rather than the age.

As for myself, I really feel I could only answer the 11 month question once
I am faced with it and I have taken stock of my circumstances.

María

???

There are always family events we want to experience. Just because, for
instance, a child graduates with you there doesn't mean that the child won't
go on to a higher degree or that s/he won't marry and you want to be there,
then has a child who you want to see - then another - and...

Mary

For the sake of the argument lets say 100% 'normal' quality.

Tim

This group certainly wouldn't be the same without him. What I appreciate
most of all is that he didn't desert us when he was bereaved but continued
in the true spirit of support to everyone.

Mary

I think that is generally the case in most states and countries.  The
banks would argue that it is not their job to tell you what the law is,
(especially when it is to their disadvantage).  It is also not commonly
understood.  Any debts the deceased has are reclaimable against their
estate.  In most jurisdictions I think, co-owned property, especially
the home, will pass directly to the surviving spouse and not become part
of the estate, but it may depend on exactly how the co-ownership was set
up.  For example I understand that under Scottish law it is necessary to
have a "survivorship" clause in the title deed.  Deposit accounts may be
a more vague area.

If there is no estate left (apart from co-owned property), the creditors
would have a hard time indeed trying to recover any debts from
relatives.  They could not under any rational legal system enforce upon
you a contract that you were not signatory to, and may not even have had
knowledge of.  However or course if you had two credit cards (that is,
one each) on a single account in one or both names, your liability would
be joint, and any debt would pass to you.

If there is a will (and all secondary cancer patients are advised to
make a will if they have not already done so), then I think debts will
be payable before the terms of the will are considered.

Regarding the mortgage on a co-owned home, yes obviously the survivor
remains in the same position as the couple were before; however you can
(while healthy) take out insurance that will pay off the mortgage in
event of the death of one partner (i.e. the main breadwinner).

If there are children, then their rights of inheritance do vary.  I was
surprised to discover when my father died that the law in Scotland
(where he died) is quite different from that in England (where I live),
and that his personal assets (non-joint deposit accounts in this case)
did not all automatically pass to his surviving spouse (known legally as
a "relict"), but that the children had a legal right to part of it,
before any provisions in the will.

When there are children from multiple marriages, inheritance is
especially fraught, for example by default under English law (in
intestacy), the deceased's children by a previous marriage inherit nothing.

Tim