Gifts in Wills

If you die without a Will (‘dying intestate’), state laws will determine how your assets are distributed, which could result in your loved ones and the causes you care about being left out entirely. An up-to-date Will is the only way to make sure that, after you pass away, your wishes are carried out.

In Australia, you can make a legally binding Will any time after you turn 18.

Residual gifts allow you to leave a percentage of what’s left of your estate after you’ve taken care of your family and friends – so you can support both the people and causes you care about.

Residual gifts are a simple and practical way of leaving a gift in your Will in comparison to other types of gifts, such as specific or pecuniary gifts. You may not know the value of your final estate, but a percentage gives you peace of mind and will automatically adjust to changes in your estate’s value over time. A residual gift will also keep pace with inflation so that your gift to the charity or charities you care about is maximised.

Your Will records your wishes at a particular point in time. It is important to regularly review your Will as your circumstances change to ensure that it accurately reflect your current wishes. If your current Will still accurately reflects your wishes, or if there has been a significant change in your circumstances, it may be necessary to make a new Will. You should speak to your solicitor about whether a new Will or a Codicil - a short legal amendment to your Will - is appropriate for the updates you wish to make.

Yes, you can specify how you want your gift to be used. However, it’s worth remembering that most gifts in Wills aren’t realised for many years. If you include a gift for our general purposes, it means we can fund the most significant project at the time, to make the most impact in our fight to help save Australians from heart disease.

If you have a specific purpose in mind, we recommend discussing this with us before finalising your Will, to ensure that your wishes can be carried out.

We know that taking care of your family and loved ones will always come first. We are very grateful for any gift you may choose to leave the Heart Foundation after you have looked after them.

It’s important that you make your family and loved ones aware of your wishes and any gift you’ve to the Heart Foundation in your Will, so they understand why supporting the fight against heart disease is important to you. Communication with your family will ensure your final wishes are carried out and your gift is received and used as you intended.

Whilst monetary gifts are preferred, the Heart Foundation is able to accept non-monetary gifts, such as property or shares. However, we would need to convert any property or shares into cash to be able to fund our work.

It’s important to discuss any non-monetary gifts with us before finalising your Will, to ensure that we are able to accept them and that your wishes can be carried out.

You don't have to, but we would love to know so we can keep in touch with you, express our appreciation for your generous gift, and keep you updated on our progress towards an Australia free of heart disease. Your information will be kept confidential, and we will always respect your privacy. Building a relationship with our supporters is important to us, and we value your contribution to our cause.

You can contact our Gifts in Wills team to discuss your gift by:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 13 11 12 and ask for our Gifts in Wills team