A Will is a declaration in a prescribed form of the intention of the person making it of the matters which he/she wishes to take effect after his/her death.

A person who makes a Will.

The estate of the deceased will be frozen. The immediate family needs to apply for Letter of Administration (LA) to unlock the deceased’s estate before able to transfer it to his/her family members i.e. the legal beneficiaries.

When there is a Will left behind by the deceased, the immediate family will apply for a GP. However, when he/she dies without a Will, the family member have to apply for a LA.

An authority given under the seal of the Court for the administration of the estate of a person who has died without leaving a Will.

A Court order that formally authorizes the executor to administer the deceased’s estate according to the Will.

A natural person above the age of 21 or a Trust company.

Maximum of four. One Executor is required for the application of Probate.

1. Locate the Will
2. Make funeral arrangement
3. Apply for a Grant of Probate(GP)
4. Call in assets
5. Pay debts
6. Prepare Statement of Accounts
7. Distribute assets according to the Will
8. Carry out some wishes mentioned in the Will

When there is a minor beneficiary named in the Will. Normally, the Trustees will hold on trust for the minor till he/she has attained the age of 21 years old or a \’Trust Properties\’ or ’Trust Fund’ is created in the Will. A guardian is needed to take care of the welfare of the minor children if both parents are pre-deceased

1. Continue to administer the estate where the properties cannot be distributed, eg. for a minor or before the trust period ends.
2. Manage the estate according to the instructions and powers given by the Will and according to the Trustees Act.
3. The appointed trustees cannot benefit by virtue of their office. All profits must be accounted for.

The role of your Trustee is to hold on trust your money and other assets for your minor children while your Guardian is to take care of the welfare of your minor children. Thus, it is always wise to appoint different people to ensure there is counter-check, especially on the money left behind by you for your minor children.

1. You provide for your beneficiaries in the way you choose rather than letting the Law decides for you.
2. Expedite the legal process.
3. No guarantors(sureties) required by the High Court.
4. You may appoint a guardian of your choice for your infant children.
5. You exercise the right to appoint people of your choice to administer your estate and to carry out your wishes so as to safeguard the interests of those you love and care for.
6. It costs less in terms of legal fees to apply for a GP than a LA.

An administrator is a person appointed by all the legal beneficiaries to the estate of a deceased who has passed on without a Will to administer the estate of the deceased. All legal beneficiaries of the deceased are qualified to be an administrator.

Yes, two guarantors (sureties) are required by the High Court by way of bond equivalent to the gross value of the deceased’s assets.

Yes, the consents from all members of the family is required. Any beneficiary who is not applying to become the administrator will have to renounce his/her right to the appointed administrator.

1. The estate does not exceed RM50,000.00.
2. A trust corporation is being appointed as the administrator.
3. The administrator is the sole beneficiary.
4. A Court waiver – full or partial. This is at the discretion of the Court.

A GP application normally takes a shorter time than a LA application. Normally a GP can be extracted within a minimum of three months to a year, depending on the size of the estate; while a LA normally takes 2 to 5 years.

Yes, it is.

1. Opening clause
2. Revocation clause
3. Appointment of executors
4. Residuary clause
5. Attestation clause

It is one of the vital clauses in a Will. Any asset which the testator has forgotten to will away will automatically fall under the residuary clause. Thus, with a residuary clause, there is no partial intestacy of a Will.

Your Will will become partial intestacy.

In a Will, an accrual clause is one that mentions the subsequent beneficiary of a particular asset should the earlier mentioned beneficiary pre-deceases.

It will be in force upon execution with two independent witnesses and is written according to the Will Act 1959.

1. Failure of Nomination, Insurance policies.
2. Failure of Nomination, Money in Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) account.
3. A Joint Bank Account, In Malaysia unlike Singapore there is no survivorship after the death of one of the joint account holders.

A person’s issue refers to his/her children, grandchildren and all lineal descendents.

The following person(s) are entitled in accordance to priority when an intestate dies without leaving behind a surviving spouse, children or parent:-

No, both the witnesses and the testator must sign the Will at the same time. The function of the witnesses is to confirm and verify that the testator is of sound mind.

Yes, the movable assets and immovable assets in Common Law Jurisdiction subject to sealing of Commonwealth and Colonial Grants.

Yes, you can. The house will be held jointly between your beneficiary and your husband should you pass on one day.

Yes, it is.

Yes, you can.

No. Under Section 5 of the Will Act 1958, all wills must be written in a prescribed form.

Yes, you can. Once you have sold off any of the assets mentioned in the Will, the respective beneficiary will receive nothing as on the date of your death, there is no such asset.

For Movable Assets less than RM600,000.00.

A person is legally capable of holding property upon attaining the age of 18.

A will can be written in any language. However, where the Will is not in English a translation certified by a court interpreter or a translation verified by the affidavit of a person qualified to translate must be annexed to the application for Grant of Probate.

No, she would not. You need to write a Will and name your nanny as a beneficiary.

Yes, only for movable assets in Malaysia.

No, under the Will Act, a Will need not be stamped.

Yes, he can. However, for check and balance purposes, it is always advisable to appoint a guardian who does not perform the duty of a trustee.

No. You can include the clause “en ventre sa mere” which means future children are included as well.

No, normally the Court requires the original copy.

There is no restriction on writing a Will. However, if the Will is contested in Court later and the Court finds suspicious circumstances exist, probate might not be granted unless the suspicious are removed.

Yes, provided it is signed by the same witnesses. However, it is always advisable to write a new one to avoid future complications.

The latest one.

Put the name of your fiance in the Will.

When a person gets married, his/her Will will automatically be revoked unless he/she mentions that he/she is subsequently going to marry a particular person or he/she is in ’contemplation of marriage’. In this case, this Will will not get revoked even after marriage to this particular person.

An addition to the Will, signed and witnessed in the same way as the original Will. The witnesses may be different from those people who witnessed the original Will.

No. A beneficiary or his/her spouse must not be a witness. If he/she does, then he/she will lose his/her share in the Will. However, this will not affect the validity of the Will.

No. your beneficiary in the Will will not be able to revoke your earlier nomination in the KWSP account. Under the KWSP Act, all beneficiaries for the money in the KWSP account must be mentioned in the prescribed forms provided by KWSP.

Domicile is the country in which a person is or presumed to be permanently resident. Lex situs means the law of the place where the property is situated. It is the general rule that for movable properties, the law of the testator’s domicile applies whereas for immovable properties, it is lex situs that applies.

Yes, you can. It will be known as a ’Trust Fund’.

Yes, she will. A divorce does not render a Will null and void.

Yes, you can mention the specific amount for donation. However, in your Will, you need to name the charity that you want to benefit.

Yes, you can. It is known as ’Maintenance Trust Fund’ for your elderly parents and your nephew. ’Trust Fund’ can also be created for payments of education expenses, medical expenses, monthly donations etc.

Yes, you can. In a Will, you can mention your wishes and the executor appointed by you will have to carry out your wishes. This is one of the purposes of writing a Will.

Yes, you can. In this case, it is advisable to keep good records of your assets as you do not wish your family members to ’treasure hunt’ your assets once you are no longer with them.

No. Once a person professes the Muslim faith, the distribution of his/her estate will be governed by the Syariah Law

Certainly, a Will only takes effect upon your death.

Yes, no survivorship of Joint bank accounts in Malaysia. The surviving holder will be not entitled to share of the deceased person in the money standing to their credit in the bank account. Banks in Malaysia follow Tenancy-in-Common, the share of the deceased joint account holder shall pass under a Will. Banks in some other countries follow Joint Tenancy. The surviving co-owner automatically succeeds to the share of co-owner when he dies.

Not advisable, as the safe deposit box will be frozen when you pass on. Thus, your family members may not be able to retrieve it for the application of Probate.

Some of the common testamentary trusts in a Will are as follows:-

No, the new assets will fall under the residuary clause and be distributed accordingly. However, if you do not want the beneficiary named in the residuary estate to benefit from these new assets, then you need to write a new Will and name your preferred beneficiary for the new assets acquired after the date of the Will.

Under the Law, two witnesses are required to be present when the testator signs his/her Will. The purpose of their presence is to confirm that the testator is of sound mind and aware that he is signing a Will.

No, they need not read your Will or know the contents of your Will. They merely confirm that you are of sound mind and you sign the Will in their presence.

No, They need not appear in Court. However, if there is a contest on the validity of the Will, the Court might need the witnesses to appear in Court to prove that the testator was of sound mind when he/she signed the Will.

The Executor needs to file an affidavit saying that the witnesses can not be located or have already passed away and the Court might need an affidavit from a person who can verify the signature of the testator.

Yes, it is advisable to state the reasons why provisions have not been made for a particular family member, particularly for those family members falling under the Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1971. This is to avoid any claims from these members under this Act.

Yes, you can. You do not need to state the reason in your Will.

Anyone who has an interest in the estate of the deceased. Under the Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1971, certain categories of people have a right to apply for reasonable provisions to be made for their maintenance if nothing or insufficient amount has been left to them under the Will. These people are:- 

No, your nominee will not. These unit trust investments form part of your estate, not part of your KWSP account. You can will these investments in a Will.

Yes, he has to. Thus, it always advisable to purchase a Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) to pay for any outstanding loan should you pass on suddenly.

Yes, you can.

Yes, you do. Only a nominal amount as it is not according to the current market value of the house. The estate stamp duty was abolished on 1/11/1991.

Yes, a Will cannot revoke any insurance policy with a nomination made under Section 166 Insurance Act 1996. Under Section 166 Insurance Act 1996 only the nomination of a spouse and /or children is allowed. However, the nomination of parent(s) as a beneficiary is allowed on condition that the policyholder is not married at the time of making such a nomination. Any nomination other than these nominations under Section 166 Insurance Act 1996 (i.e. spouse, children and parents) receives the money as an executor unless the benefit of the policy has been assigned to him/her.

No, as the Court may use its discretion to disallow the appointment.

Not advisable, as the official assignee (OA) who has jurisdiction over all the bankrupt’s assets will have the access to such gift.

The company is a separate legal entity when it was incorporated. Thus, the house he is staying belong to the company not him. He cannot will the house away in his Will. However, he can will indirectly through willing away his holding of shares in the company to his beneficiary.

There are a few situations you should consider rewriting a Will:- 

If you write a simple Will without mentioning the appointment of executor/trustee, a residuary clause and other essential clauses, your Will might become partial intestacy. Thus, it is always advisable to get a professional Will-writer to draft your Will to ensure it is a 100% valid Will.

No, as he is not a legitimate child. You need to write a Will to include him.

Yes, despite the fact that she is a beneficiary she is merely an executor for the money paid out from the insurance policies. Your legal wife and children have a right over the money she receives. To protect her, state in the Will that this money is for her.

Yes, she can.

It is defined under the Probate and Administration Act as including an annuity, a general legacy or a demonstrative legacy so far as it is not discharged out of the designated property, and any general direction by a testator for payment of money, including all duties free from which any advice, bequest or payment is made to take effect.

A Trust is an instrument where the creator of the Trust called the “Settlor” entrusts and transfers the ownership of his/her assets to another person called the “Trustee” under a Trust Deed. The Trustee then acts for the benefit of the named beneficiaries in the Trust Deed for a specific period of time.

Person who create a Trust – Living Trust

It can exists in three forms: – 

Trust Deed 

A Testamentary Trust is always revocable before death as it is in a Will. Trust Deed can be in the form of revocable and irrevocable. It is revocable at anytime during the lifetime of the Settlor by executing a deed of revocation, while a Trust Deed can be irrevocable when it is set up and is generally creditor-proof.

• Distributing wealth to avoid the application of Grant of Probate. 
• Protecting wealth against wasteful beneficiaries and against creditors. 
• Preserving assets for our great grandchildren. 
• To cater for various family situations, e.g. Education & special maintenance expenses.

The Trustee receives the assets from the Settlor and is legally obligated to hold the assets for the enjoyment of the beneficiaries during the trust period set by the Settlor according to the Trust Deed signed between the Settlor and the Trustee.

1. As a watchdog 
2. Advise on needs of beneficiaries 
3. Recommend payment to beneficiaries using Letter of Wishes 
4. Has the power to remove and replace Trustee

1. Distribute the way you want it to – e.g. you set goal to be achieve. 
2. You decide who is to receive it – Just like Will, it’s your choice. 
3. No fuss and instantly available – No lengthy procedure to adhere, Fund readily available for beneficiaries because it is in Trustee’ name. 
4. Have a peace of mind – Once trust created and Protector appointed. 
5. Get assets protected from creditors – After 5 years. 
6. Not easily contested – Assets are no longer under your name.

An Insurance Trust is a trust funded by insurance policy. It is created through signing of a trust deed by the client (policyholder) and a Trust Corporation (the trustee). Then the client will absolutely assign the policy to the trustee. The trust deed contains instructions to the trustee on the manner of management and distribution of the insurance proceeds upon the client’s death or disability.

This is to ensure that the insurance proceeds are used to: 

To ensure Beneficiaries’ do not squander their inheritance-providing staggered distribution during trust period. 

All taxable income of the Trust is at 24%, regardless of who the Trustee is, whether it’s an individual or Trust Corporation. However, there are certain investment that generates income that is tax-exempted (for e.g. fixed deposits) and rebate can be claimed, such as Unit Trust and share dividends.

AREA	LIVING TRUST	WILL
Creditor protection?	Yes, if it is irrevocable and after 5 years.	No.
Can condition be stated?	Yes.	Yes.
Can I give to any person I choose, even if unborn?	Yes.	Yes.
Can additional assets be included?	Yes, by doing a supplemental deed.	Yes, by rewriting the Will.
Can the Trustee/Executor be removed?	Yes, by doing a supplemental deed.	Yes, by rewriting a new Will.
Can there be more than 1 creator?	Yes.	No. one Will, one Testator.
When is the actual transfer of property?	During lifetime of Settlor.	After death of Testator & GP is obtained.
When does it become effective?	Upon transfer of property to Trustee.	Upon the death of Testator.
Will assets be frozen upon death?	No.	Yes.