A will ensures that your wishes for the resources you leave behind are known and carried out. When you include the ministry in your will, your gift is entirely tax-free, reducing the estate taxes your heirs will have to pay.
There are times when a simple will is not enough. A revocable living trust provides flexibility, privacy, and can be created to achieve your unique planning goals. A living trust also allows your heirs to avoid the hassles of probate and to distribute your assets quickly.
Charitable trusts can be structured to provide a long-term gift to the ministry while giving your family income for life or over a number of years. They can also be set up to provide income to our ministry for a period of time, and then to return the remaining value of the trust to your family.
Because these funds grow tax-free over time, taxes are due whenever there is a distribution or withdrawal. A simple way to avoid these taxes is to make a gift from your retirement account to a charitable organization which is tax exempt. This keeps your heirs from having to pay taxes on the entire Individual Retirement Account or IRA.
Many people purchase life insurance policies for specific purposes when they are younger. As your life circumstances change, you may find you no longer need the policy. In that case, gifting the policy to a ministry may be a good planning option, allowing you to take a charitable deduction equal to the cash value of the policy (or the replacement cost if the policy is paid up). The ministry would have the option to cash in the policy to fund current ministry needs, or to hold on to it to receive future benefits.