Greetings,

This is the situation of my friend – whose husband has recently passed away with cancer.
Before marriage the husband had given names of the father, mother and brother as beneficiaries for his vanguard account. The names of the benificiary has (most probably) remined like that since their marriage. Now it has been nearly about 15 years in good faith in marriage when the husband passed away after a struggling with cancer for more than 7 years. My friends the wife attended to husband faithfully and served him till his last breath, if now left at the care of friends without a roof on the head. I am trying see if she can helped in a legal way if possible.

Its very unfortunate that the husband did not change the vanguard benificiary in the name of the wife when he was well, though
she took care of him during his last days. The spouse is not educated enough to understand the intricacies and its quite unfortunate that the brother and father how are determined to settle only for the complete claim of all the savings and not part anything with the widoed women.

Is there any possibility that the spouse can still get the claim the savings, though she was not added as a benificiary ? If so what needs to be done and whom should she contact ?

I am helpless and quite old myself without much knowledge about these matters. But I want to morally support her and atleast to provide her with the right direction and contacts. I would like to make sure she is in right hands and receives justice in this matter. If you can care by prviding valuable suggestions, I did really appreciate.

Thanks for any suggestions offered.
Cathy