I think there was a movie a few eons ago called TO DIE IN MADRID. I wonder how many of us here will DIE IN TAIWAN?
I am sure I will probably die in Taiwan, although I hope it is not for a very very looooooooooooooooooog time to come. Please God!
Anybody else here plan to die in Taiwan?
What are your burial plans? Cremation, ashes thrown into the sea, six feet under, what? And if you are deadended here, and your body done away with here, will you then return for Ghost Month, too?
I have a Will and have given Power of Att. of my US based goodies to my mom. I also have a trust fund set up for my two sons. The trust fund states that they get half (divided equally of course) for education (tuition and books only) and the other half when they reach 40 years of age.
I don’t really care what they do with my remains.
Formosa,
Without an ounce of malice, GET A LIFE!
With all due respect Alleycat,
Though Formosa wrote the initial post tongue-in-cheek, I think this is a very important issue for ex-pats; especially ex-pats with kids. I think it is very important to be prepared and have things set up as to what happens to kids and assets if, God forbid, something does happen.
I wrote as a friend. Really, instead of contemplating death, especially on a bulletin board, perhaps our resident towncrier should get out and about the town more often.
Totally agree Durins.
What are these trust funds?
I’ve got a son from a previous relationship but as yet no money. Ok I send money back each month but I’d like to bequeath something more if I could.
I’m interested to know if the trust fund you mentioned is something you contribute to over a period or is it a once off transfer?
What are the pros and cons?
A yet to become fiscally responsible dad.
HG
I tried to set up a will in New Zealand this week. However, as I have assets in Taiwan they said it would be difficult to make it legally binding.
I don’t have a clue about how things work in Taiwan as far as this topic is concerned.
I don’t want to be buried here. Take me home and scatter me somewhere beautiful with clean fresh air, not that I’ll be needing it but it does sound better than a hole in the ground.
My NZ life insurance and Taiwan life insurance policies aren’t a problem.
New Zealand estate law is tricky though, I can’t get my head around it.
Never heard of it. But I’ve seen Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead with Andy Garcia, one of the most overlooked and under-rated movies of all time.
There are many possibilities
traffic
plane
war
fire
toxic waste
Betel nut girls
Quake
What me worry?
I will come back and haunt everybody who had anything to do with murdering me, plus anybody who has watched the Japanese or American versions of “The Ring” without making a copy within 7 days.
I want to die spending my last cent. What? Am I going to feel better if someone has my money after I am deceased? HA! 
RichardM…I pick death by Betelnut Girl…then again…who wouldn’t???
As I am totally alone here and you fellow forumosans are the closest thing I have to a family, I hereby bequeath all my possessions to all of you to sell, so you can have me cremated in one of those funereal pyres on Koh Tao or Koh Racha Yai in Thailand…I want you all blasted on Mekong and Opium (I know, a juxtaposed mix to be sure) and I want you all to read out all posts involving Toe Save and the one StewPendous one 
under a blood moon…and then party your asses off…
Tigerman…you bring the beer…
HGC,
I am very much a layman when it comes to this kind of stuff, but I will give it a whirl…
As I understand it, a trust fund is kinda like incorporating yourself. Your inheritance taxes are lower and people have a harder time trying to weasel the money. I have what is called a “living trust”, that means I can take stuff out and put stuff in as I see fit. Right now, I have all my US bank accounts and mutual funds, my Civil War document collection, the leather pea jacket of the commander from the only German sub captured by the US in WW1, and some 17th century documents. So, a trust fund is not only about money, it can also cover property. Once I die, it is no longer a “living trust”; whatever I have in the trust is locked in. My wife can always put more stuff in, of course. A trust basically lets me decide who, when, and how my estate is to be divided…muscled up version of a will so to speak.
I set up my trust to do two things. 1.) to pay for tuition for my boys higher education and 2.) they get all the rest when they reach the age of 40. I did not want them to get the dosh at an early age because we all know what young men do when they have a lot of money…they buy expensive cars so that they can go a’drinkin and a’whorin 
At 40 years of age, they will most likely spend the money on their kids, house payments, etc…
My sister is in charge of the trust while my brother would have custody of the boys (if my wife and I eat it at the same time). This involves a lot of trust, but my sister is the most trustworthy person I know.
The cost of the will, PoA, and trust ran me about $3,000USD. These documents do not cover my stuff in Taiwan.
Hope this helps.
DB
alleycat, as a friend, i want to tell you, i have a LIFE, a quite interesting one, and I do get out and about town on a daily basis, painting the twon red every weekend and then recovering all week. I did not start this post tongue in cheek at all, and as you can see, others have posted some very interesting things. Don’t underestimate formosa, alleycat; I do not post here because of nothing to do. To the contrary…
Whenever someone says GET A LIFE, I want to scream bloody hell I got one, matey! Which is why I am here, among other people! We all do.
So, alleycat, i gues the question then comes back to this: where do you plan to die? And I hope it is not soon either: you deserve another four score on this planeto Eartho!
That’s a good way to put it.
Make certain that you have in addition to your living trust a “pour over” will. A pour over will takes all of your possessions and assets that have not over your lifetime been put into your trust into your living trust… that is, the pour over will distributes all your other stuff to your living trust.
Now I am beginning to understand, dying is complicated.!@!!
Don’t worry FourMoeSah, they’ve got a do-it-yourself package at B&Q, complete with a hoe, rake, six cubic meters of groundsoil, a wood box and a bottle of Jim Beam.
I intend to live forever, so far I am managing it.
Of course you are, you got nine lives.
Not for the deceased, it isn’t.