Wiser ways to leave a legacy
MORE than a quarter (28 per cent) of Britons value the wisdom that loved ones have passed on more than money, keepsakes or property, a new study has just revealed.
The research has helped to launch this year’s Remember A Charity awareness week that encourages people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their will.
According to the 1,000 people who were polled, ‘make the most of every day’, ‘age is only a number’ and ‘happiness takes us places that money never will’ were the most popular sentiments they would like to pass on to a loved one.
Notable words of wisdom contributed by celebrity supporters include Alan Sugar’s ‘don’t worry if you make mistakes — they are the best way to learn’, Bill Bryson’s ‘be kind, be decent and try to leave the world at least slightly better than you found it’ and Gary Lineker’s ‘don’t head the ball in training’.
Remember A Charity is now encouraging people to leave their own words of wisdom at www.mywisdom.co.uk or to share them with the hashtag #mywisdom.
These inspirational quotes and phrases are a way for people to pass on the values that they hold dear, as is leaving a gift to a charity in a will and supporting a cause that they believe in.
Last year, more than 121,000 bequests were recorded from the 37,261 charitable wills that went to probate — an all-time high, up from 34,908 wills in 2014. And legacy income rose by 5 per cent to £2.5 billion in the UK, with almost 10,000 charities named in wills — a rise of 10 per cent.
More than three-quarters of Britons regularly give to the charities that they support, yet only 7 per cent currently include a charity when writing a will.
But wills are still the foundation of many of Britain’s charities, raising the equivalent of 19 Comic Reliefs each year.
Without this income, many charities would simply not exist and others would have to cut crucial services.
Making a will is vital, as it reduces the burden on the loved ones you leave behind, protects your assets for them and ensures that they are correctly dealt with.