Date posted:
The word legacy is defined as “a gift by will especially of money or other personal property”, often coming with a sentimental or emotional attachment. A legacy can also be called a bequest, a deferred or planned gift, but in all cases, this type of gift is recorded in a Will.
What is a Will?
A Will is a written statement explaining how you would like your property and money distributed after you die. Paul Clitheroe (Moneymag, Feb 2019) points out how few people are organised, quoting research showing “10 million Australians don’t have a Will”. That’s a significant number of people failing to adequately consider what will happen to their finances and assets once they’re gone.
The Moneysmart website describes making a Will as planning ahead to make sure your wishes are carried out. This page also contains some information on powers of attorney which may be useful.
A Will can be written at any time throughout your life, ensuring that no matter how young or how old you are, your assets will be managed the way you want them to be.
Leaving a legacy
Many people want to ensure they leave a legacy when they pass away. It is important to first make provision for your loved ones before you consider leaving a legacy in your Will. When leaving a legacy, it is recommended you tell your family about your decision and explain the reasons. This may avoid surprises for those left behind and more importantly, prevent any potential challenges when you pass away.
Most charitable organisations encourage supporters to leave a legacy in their Will and the LLL is no exception.
Leaving a legacy to the LLL?
The LLL has been operating and supporting the Lutheran Church since 1921 and during this entire time has been encouraging supporters to donate and/or leave a legacy, the capital amount of the legacy you gift to the LLL is never spent. The income generated from the legacy enables the LLL to provide a grant based on your gift each year to support LCA projects in perpetuity* which means your legacy will continue to support Church projects beyond your lifetime.
* LLL Board policy is to retain all legacies and donations as reserves which are not to be spent.
When preparing a Will, Christians may choose to share their faith with family and friends by including a Christian preamble. The LLL website contains a suggested preamble that could be used or act as a guide for a personalised preamble.
A legacy to the LLL can be left in three different ways:
- A General legacy is without any conditions and the LLL Board will allocate grants to the LCA as suggested by the LCA General Church Board.
- A legacy to an LLL Permanent Fund provides an annual grant to the beneficiary of the particular LLL Permanent Fund chosen by the donor or Legator.
- A legacy to the LLL Special Purposes Fund can benefit any chosen ministry/entity within the Lutheran Church and could be at a national, district or local level. An annual grant is then provided to the chosen LCA ministry/entity.
If you would like to know more about leaving a legacy to the LLL, including how you can include the LLL in your Will, please visit lll.org.au/legacy
If you are considering leaving a legacy in your Will, please consider the LLL. By naming Lutheran Laypeople’s League in your Will, you can be sure your gift will benefit many others by continuing to provide support for mission and ministry beyond your lifetime.
The LLL prides itself on providing savings accounts that are simple to operate, with a variable interest rate and no fees or charges. The LLL has a variety of savings accounts: personal and joint accounts; guardian accounts for children; and business accounts, including for self-managed super funds and not-for-profit organisations.
As an Authorised Deposit-taking Institution (ADI), the LLL is regulated under the Banking Act and by APRA.
