Last will

Many people put off writing their will for years. Yet, recording your wishes is easier than many think. And where there are no relatives, it prevents your assets from going to the state. Only in this way can you decide for yourself who benefits from your money.

For the Ruedi Lüthy Foundation, bequests and legacies are an indispensable source of donations. For years, legacies have made a crucial contribution to enabling the Newlands Clinic to operate without temporary financial constraints. It is also thanks to such bequests that the foundation has been able to close funding gaps during periods of low income or high expenditure.

Without a will, charitable institutions receive nothing.
For any charitable organization to benefit from a donation from an estate, a will is mandatory. Without this formally documented last will and testament of the deceased, the estate always passes to relatives or – if there are no relatives – to the state. In Switzerland, there are exactly three forms of valid wills. A will must be drawn up in one of the following forms:

• as a handwritten, autograph will,
• as a public will drawn up by a public official (e.g., a notary),
• as an oral will before two independent witnesses in extraordinary circumstances.

A handwritten, holographic will is considered the most common and simplest form. However, at least the points in the following checklist should be considered:

• handwritten by myself from A to Z
• concerns my personal legacy
• Contains my personal details (surname, first name, date of birth, address)
• benefits specifically named persons or institutions
• respects the compulsory shares of descendants, spouses or registered partners
• Ideally, it will be deposited with the canton's custodian bank.

Legacy or inheritance
Assets can be passed on as legacies or as inheritances. When it comes to money, a legacy consists of a fixed sum (e.g., 100,000 Swiss francs) paid to a person or institution from the estate before it is divided among the heirs. In contrast, an heir receives a share (e.g., half, a quarter, etc.) of the estate remaining after all legacies have been paid out. Spouses and descendants are each entitled to a statutory share of at least one quarter.

Alternatively, you can have a notary draw up a public will. Costs: from 500 to 3,000 Swiss francs.