Aotearoa New Zealand marks ‘Wills Month’ in September, an annual reminder to create or update this all-important record of your wishes for when you pass away.
Having an up-to-date Will gives you the peace-of-mind that you have planned for the people and things you care about, making it easier for your family and friends to do the right thing when the time comes.
To mark September as Wills Month, Momentum Waikato is again partnering with Tompkins Wake to make the process easier. During the month you can use their ‘Create Your Free Will’ web tool.
Enter your details into this template and it generates a simple legal Will. Then you can sign it and get it witnessed and lodged with the lawyer of your choice, with no obligation to use Tompkins Wake. Note though that if your affairs are complex, you will still need legal advice on your Will.
It is of course best to first talk to your family. Providing for your loved ones is the first priority, but you may also wish to leave a gift in your will to favourite charities or your community.
Like all community foundations, Momentum Waikato is building an endowment fund for its region by gathering donations and bequests, with the resulting investment income being re-invested, granted or loaned to local social enterprises, charities, community projects and changemakers.
This is a well-proven model for ensuring your giving has a positive and ongoing impact, rather than being ‘all used up at once’, so it is an effective strategy when you want to provide a sustainable income stream to an organisation you support.
To put it another way: ‘Make your gift last forever, find your local community foundation’.
That’s the message of the current campaign from Community Foundations of New Zealand – check out their 'Big Dreams' video featuring Miriama Kamo and Sir Stephen Tindall.
You can also download the free CFNZ Will Information Pack.
In your neck of the woods, your local community foundation is Momentum Waikato.
Since it was founded in 2013, Momentum has received Gift-in-Will pledges from a range of Waikato families and individuals.
We complete a formal bequest agreement covering what you want to leave in your Will and which charity, community or project is to receive the resulting income forever into the future. Such an agreement is ideal but not essential – community foundations often only learn they are receiving a bequest when a Will is opened. How ever you approach it, it is best to talk to a lawyer first.
To find out more, please contact us.
