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Planning Your Legacy

How do you want to be remembered? What type of impact do you want to have on the causes that matter to you? How will you leave your mark on the community?

As you plan for the future, these are important questions to consider. And, if you are like many others in our community, a planned gift may be part of your response. A planned gift offers you a way to make a gift to Stark Community Foundation during or after your lifetime as part of your overall financial and estate planning. It’s also a way for you to make a much larger charitable gift than you could make from your ordinary income.

From simple to very complex, there is a planned giving option for every situation, and Stark Community Foundation can help.

Types of Planned Gifts

Every individual’s situation is unique and each planned giving option offers its own features and benefits.

Bequest by Will or Trust

The simplest way to make a lasting gift to the causes that are important to you during your lifetime is to make a bequest through your will or trust. By simply including information in your estate planning documents, you can easily establish a charitable fund (or add to an existing fund) at Stark Community Foundation that speaks to your charitable intentions. The bequest can be for a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate or residue of your estate.


Retirement Plan

Naming Stark Community Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement plan — such as an IRA, Keogh, 401(k) and 403(b) — is an opportunity to avoid income and estate tax penalties while benefiting your community. These assets are the most heavily taxed; therefore, it may be more effective for you to transfer assets to a tax-exempt organization, such as Stark Community Foundation, and leave assets not subject to income tax to your heirs.


Life Insurance

By naming Stark Community Foundation as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, you can make a much larger gift than what you possibly could make during your lifetime. There are a number of different ways you can gift a life insurance policy.

You can irrevocably name the Foundation as the owner of an existing policy, deduct a calculated value of the policy as a charitable gift or choose to name the Foundation as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that you continue to own. Charitable gifts made to Stark Community Foundation to pay any future premiums are eligible for a tax deduction in the year the gifts are made to the Foundation.


Retained Life Estate (Residence Or Farm)

If you don't plan to leave your personal residence, vacation home or farm to family members, you could gift the property at death to Stark Community Foundation while receiving current tax benefits. By deeding the property to the Foundation, you retain the right to live in the home or occupy the land without disruption until death or for a term of years.

While living on the property, you continue to be responsible for all routine expenses such as maintenance, insurance and property taxes. When the retained life estate ends, Stark Community Foundation can use the property or proceeds from the sale of the property for your designated charitable purpose.


Gifts That Pay You Income

There also are a number of planned giving options that provide income to you now while creating a charitable fund that will award grants in perpetuity to the causes you care about.

Charitable Gift Annuity

A charitable gift annuity is a way for you and/or your spouse to receive a fixed and secure stream of income for life. You make a charitable gift (cash or securities) to Stark Community Foundation in exchange for the Foundation's commitment to pay a fixed amount to you for the remainder of your lifetime.

After all payments have been made, the remaining assets are then contributed to your fund at the Foundation to accomplish your specific charitable goals. The Foundation would be happy to provide you with your personal rate based on your age.


Charitable Remainder Trust

Making a gift to establish a charitable remainder trust allows you to support the community, retain an income stream and receive a substantial charitable income tax deduction. The trust pays either you or a designated beneficiary a series of fixed or variable payments for life or for a fixed term (not to exceed 20 years), or a combination of the two.

You also receive an immediate charitable tax deduction for the present value of the gift the year it is made. When the trust term expires, the remainder is then distributed into your charitable fund at Stark Community Foundation.


Charitable Lead Trust

A charitable lead trust is the mirror image of a charitable remainder trust. Income off the trust is paid annually to Stark Community Foundation to establish and build your charitable fund. When the trust term expires, the remainder is distributed to you, or more typically, your children or other loved ones.

Discover others who have or plan to leave a thoughtful gift to the community as members of the Edward A. Langenbach Legacy Society.


Contact Bridgette L. Neisel, vice president of advancement, if you want to learn more about planned giving and how it may benefit you at bneisel@starkcf.org or 330-454-7992.

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