If you are considering making a bequest in your Will to Manoah, we would recommend that you seek professional advice as staff and Board members at Manoah are not equipped to give legal advice.
A Christian solicitor to whom we have referred people in the past is Mr Henri Chew, Success Legal, (Tel 9332 4012) [email protected] He is experienced in dealing with the planning stages of estate management as well as in making claims when the need arises.
If you decide to buy a ready-make kit from the Australian Post Office, you will need to ensure that you follow all instructions carefully regarding signing, initialing etc as failure to complete the Will properly might invalidate it or cause significant problems for your executor. Again, unless you are absolutely sure of what you are doing, you are better off obtaining legal advice.
You will need also to review your will if your circumstances change as there are cases when an existing will can become null and void (for instance upon dissolution of a marriage).
Under normal circumstances, it is our understanding that you can bequest a specific sum to Manoah, or a fixed percentage of the value of your estate or the full balance of your estate after payment of all debts and charges (ie. the residue of your estate).
Some examples of wording you could consider using include the following:
A specific sum
“I bequeath (free of all duties) the sum of $ __________ to the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA with the written acknowledgment of the Treasurer or other proper officer of the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA to be accepted by the executors as a full and complete discharge”.
Percentage
“I bequeath (free of all duties) ______% of my estate to the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA with the written acknowledgment of the Treasurer or other proper officer of the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA to be accepted by the executors as a full and complete discharge”.
The residue
“I bequeath (free of all duties) the residue of my estate to the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA with the written acknowledgment of the Treasurer or other proper officer of the Association for Christian Senior Citizens Homes WA to be accepted by the executors as a full and complete discharge”.
Please note that none of the above is meant to constitute the provision of legal advice.