Planned Giving through Wills and Estates

We are living in an affluent society where the previous generation is leaving trillions of dollars in estates and trusts to their heirs and various other beneficiaries. It is at death that Christians have the ability to give perhaps their largest gift. But such a gift must be planned; it doesn’t just happen.

Putting together a planned giving program is very easy. The majority of estate money can be made through a regular will and most of the will's inclusions consist of simple codicils to an existing will.

Under a will an individual has great flexibility in what is given and how. A few examples include a gift of a specific property (e.g. personal or real estate), a specific dollar amount or perhaps all or a specified portion of the remainder of the estate (after debts and other gifts have been paid). The gift may be available from the estate immediately or at a later date. For example, a house may not actually be received until the death of the individual’s spouse who has been given the right to use the real estate for life. A gift to a charity may be restricted for use in a specific project or purpose or it may be left to the charity to pursue any of its objectives at its discretion.

This is your opportunity to support the work of God. We often view wills as an instrument of death. However, they can be viewed as an instrument of life where we are provided one last opportunity to show our life interests in God's work.