Point is that if you think back you may have seen others taken advantage of like this lady was about to be taken of. I have seen business sold for a small fraction of their true value, because the widow had no clue what to do, how to run it or what the value was. I have seen classic cars "stolen" for used car prices.
The list goes on to include guns and boats and any other man toys. If you don't want to tell your wife how much you spend on your hobbies fine, then set up some fall back position so you stuff gets sold for a fair price. Even if you do tell her set it up so she can sell your stuff and get a decent price for it.
Heck if you are smart you will have her do the same thing for you. Do you have a clue how much she has spent on China, Silverware, Antique Furniture, rugs or the like? Most of us are not talking big bucks but there might be a few surprises.
I had an aunt who had hundred of thousands of dollars in rugs alone, in her house and in storage. She had three complete sets of antique Persian/Turkish/?, very rare, very antique rugs for her house in three different color schemes. Her rugs were worth more than her house looking over the Potomac River. She took money for land in DC she sold after WWII and bought farms on the Fairfax, Vienna and Fall Church side of DC, then with the rest went to Europe and bought Antique rugs when the world was broke and willing to sell a rug for a few beans. She was smart and figured out most of the "Art" for sale was stolen by the Germans and subject to being claimed later but a rug is a rug.
Few knew what wealth she walked across everyday and the first appraiser tried to low ball everything. But she left a few cryptic notes about what she had and others figured it out. Her five daughters were all well off until their end of life from the rugs alone. Just wish Mom was one of the five. Oh well I did get a small prayer rug worth a bit, but it seems defective, prayers not answered to date.
