One can make a legacy gift to their parish in their Will or Trust. The advantage of having a Will or a Trust is that you – not the State – decide how your estate is to be handled. Will and Trusts can be used to make sure a wide variety of assets (real estate, cash, stocks, personal property, etc.) make their way to where you want them to go.
Wills
Wills have been utilized for centuries, and just as you can make a gift to your children or family members (known as a bequest), you can also make a gift to your parish.
Wills can be amended, changed or even revoked any time before your death. As a result, they are very flexible/changeable.
If you are putting together a Will (or changing one to update it), it doesn’t cost anything extra to add a legacy gift to your parish in your Will.
Trusts
Trusts can be a powerful estate planning and financial planning tool. You don’t have to be rich in order to benefit from a trust.
Like a Will, trusts allow you to determine how your estate is handled.
Some trusts provide substantial tax advantages and can provide income for you and your spouse for life.
Many types of trusts can be amended, changed or revoked prior to your death.
Trusts are private – they are not filed with the court/probated.
Making a legacy gift to your parish in your trust is very easy to do, and doesn’t add to the cost of putting the trust together.
For additional information on how Wills and Trusts work, and the types of things you can do with them - or if you’d like a list of Catholic estate lawyers to consult, please contact our Parish Life Administrator below.
Parish Life Administrator
Travis Pearson