Wills and bequests
Planning your estate
Estate planning is about ensuring that for now and in the future, the value of your assets are maximised and will be directed to the people and causes dear to you.
A trusted legal or financial advisor can help develop a plan for your current situation but also for the realisation of your estate.
They can help determine:
- the appropriate gift level for each beneficiary
- the type of gift to make, e.g.
- a specific sum
- all or part of a particular asset such as property, shares or insurance policy
- a proportion of your estate, or
- all or part of the residue of your estate, i.e. the remainder after all testamentary expenses and specific bequests (gift) to named beneficiaries (eg. family) have been paid.
- the tax implications of your gift, e.g. capital gains tax on investment property and stocks and shares
- how to best structure the gift to each beneficiary
Wills and bequests
At the core of estate planning is a person's will. Writing a will and including a gift to the Leukaemia Foundation (a bequest) is a generous and empowering act. By doing so, loved ones are provided for, but a legacy is left that will make a real and enduring difference to Australians living with blood cancers and related disorders.
A bequest to the Leukaemia Foundation will be used to support our mission to care for patients, carers and families and help us achieve our vision to find a cure for leukaemias, lymphomas and myeloma.
Another way of leaving a lasting gift is to set up a Charitable Trust in the family name. The capital of the estate is invested and the annual interest is used by the Leukaemia Foundation to fund patient support and research programs. As well as having tax advantages, your gift will live on in perpetuity.
Heritage Club
If you have – or plan to – include the Leukaemia Foundation in your Will, or through a Charitable Trust we would like to thank you and invite you to join our Heritage Club. The Heritage Club is our way of recognising and honouring our friends during their lifetime when they are able to accept our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for their generosity.
Members receive a personalised certificate acknowledging their generosity and are invited to attend special functions with other members of The Heritage Club.
To join the Heritage Club, please contact us.
Correct wording
You may choose to make a general bequest and allow the Leukaemia Foundation to decide how your bequest will be used, or you may prefer to make that decision yourself e.g. direct your bequest to patient support or research.
Your legal adviser can provide further information on the different types of bequests, and on the appropriate wording for a bequest.
As a guide, the following wording may be useful:
I give and bequeath free of all duties (here state the amount/percentage or share/residue or assets to be gifted) to the Leukaemia Foundation of (here insert the address) absolutely:
- for the general charitable purposes of the said Foundation (our preferred option)
or
- for the purpose of patient and family support
or
- for the purpose of research into the cause, cure or treatment of leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders
Further information
The Leukaemia Foundation can help prepare the required information prior to visiting a solicitor or trustee company to formalise your will.
For further information – in the strictest confidence – about making or updating your will, please contact us.
