BEQUESTS IN YOUR WILL

Some donors find that the best way they can help their chosen charity is by making a bequest in their will. There are three different kinds of bequest, but with each, the entire value of the bequest is eligible for an estate tax charitable deduction.

SPECIFIC BEQUEST

You designate a particular property (such as shares of stock), dollar amount, or percentage of your estate to be transferred to Lemon Bay Conservancy. For example, your will might include language such as:

“I give to Lemon Bay Conservancy, Inc., a not-for-profit land trust headquartered in Englewood, Florida, the sum of $______ or ___% of my estate or the property described herein for its general purposes.”

RESIDUAL BEQUEST

You designate all or a portion of your remaining (residuary) estate to be transferred to Lemon Bay Conservancy, only after all other beneficiaries (including debts, taxes, and other expenses) have been paid. For example:

“All the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, I give to Lemon Bay Conservancy, a not-for-profit land trust headquartered in Englewood, Florida, to be used for . . .”

CONTINGENT BEQUEST

You designate all or a portion of your estate to be transferred to Lemon Bay Conservancy only if a named beneficiary predeceases you. For example:

“If any of the foregoing bequests shall lapse, then I give to Lemon Bay Conservancy, a not-forprofit land trust headquartered in Englewood, Florida, such bequests as to which ineffective disposition was made.”

As with other charitable gifts, you can direct how your bequest is used, targeting your gift to a specific cause or program, or making an unrestricted bequest.

If you decide to make a bequest, share your plan with your attorney and financial advisors, who will draft appropriate language for your will and help structure the gift effectively

This information reflects, in very general terms, how a gift might affect specified tax liabilities. This is not an effort to reflect your current tax picture or suggest that a particular gift will have the indicated result in your case; only your lawyer and accountant can do that. We suggest you consult your professionals before acting upon the concepts reflected here.


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