Legacy Society

A bequest is the act of naming a dollar amount, or property, that you wish to leave to a specific recipient or organization. If you choose to leave a bequest in your will to Kelberman, you can disclose that gift in advance and become part of the Legacy Society now.

By naming an organization as a beneficiary in a life insurance policy, annuity, or qualified retirement plan, you can bypass the probate process to expedite the gift process, as the gift would not have to be processed through your Will in Surrogate Court. 

Gifting an insurance policy to an organization is something you can do today and receive a tax deduction for doing so! Insurance proceeds are not subject to income tax, so gifting a policy you no longer need to Kelberman is a great way to support autism programs now, while taking advantage of tax savings in the process.

In a charitable remainder trust, assets are placed into the trust that pay a noncharitable beneficiary for a set period of time. Once that period ends, the remainder of the estate is transferred to one or more charitable beneficiaries. These trusts are irrevocable, meaning they cannot be changed without the beneficiary’s permission. Charitable remainder trusts offer significant tax savings as they are designed to reduce the taxable income of the individual trustor.

A charitable lead trust is set up to benefit a charity (unlike a charitable remainder that first benefits an individual). The charity receives income from the trust for a set period of time. After the end of the designated time period, the remaining assets are passed back to the donor or the donor’s beneficiary. If you are currently making regular gifts to Kelberman, a charitable lead trust could be a more efficient way to make that gift!

Donor-advised funds offer significant tax benefits and can allow for donations using non-cash assets, like stocks, mutual funds, or bonds. A donor-advised fund is maintained and operated by a sponsoring charitable organization — in other words, it’s like a charitable investment account. The funds in that investment account go to the charity of your choice, and that organization has control over the funds. However, the donor retains advisory privileges with respect to the distribution of funds and investment of assets in the account.