Wording for Your Will

Your lawyer or other professional adviser will help you with the wording of your legacy gift. Below are examples.

A Specific Gift Amount

This is the wording to use when you are leaving a bequest of a specific cash amount. It is simple and straightforward:

Sample wording:
“I give $________ to The Royal Canadian Legion.”

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A Residuary Gift

The “residue” of your Estate is that which remains after the taxes, administrative and legal expenses are paid, and your heirs have received their specific gifts. The residue can be given in whole or divided among beneficiaries. An advantage is that as your circumstances change, your Will does not have to be altered, as the proportion remains the same.

Sample wording:
“I bequeath the residue of my Estate (or xx% of the residue of my estate) to The Royal Canadian Legion.”

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A Contingent Gift

This is a provision that allows you to determine the recipient of your estate in the event that none of your named beneficiaries are alive at the time of your death.

Sample wording:
“If none of the individuals I intend to benefit by this Will are alive or otherwise capable of benefitting, I leave the residue of my Estate to The Royal Canadian Legion.”