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Estate Planning: Leave a Legacy

The following are just a few ways in which you can leave a legacy of freedom for future generations by including The Rutherford Institute in your estate plans.

  • Perhaps the most common method of providing for loved ones and organizations you support is by leaving a bequest of a specific dollar amount to them in your will. The language could be as simple as:

I leave $____ or ___% of my estate to The Rutherford Institute, a Virginia not-for-profit corporation, Post Office Box 7482, Charlottesville, Virginia 22906.

  • Establishing a charitable trust allows you to name The Rutherford Institute as the ultimate beneficiary, thus making a substantial gift to our ministry, while earning income and achieving estate tax savings.
  • By making a larger donation during your lifetime in the form of a gift annuity to The Rutherford Institute, you receive a promise from the Institute of fixed income from this gift for your lifetime (and/or a spouse's lifetime), plus a current income tax charitable deduction.
     
  • You can also transfer ownership of paid-up life insurance policies no longer needed by your family to The Rutherford Institute and receive a current income tax charitable deduction for the approximate cash value amount of the policies. Or you can simply make The Rutherford Institute the owner and beneficiary of a policy requiring premiums from you and receive an income tax deduction for the premiums that you pay. The Rutherford Institute can also be listed as your Contingent or Final Beneficiary in case your primary beneficiaries pre-decease you.
     
  • It is also possible to name the Institute as the beneficiary of an account, such as a bank or brokerage account, or an asset, such as a certificate of deposit (CD). All you need to do is fill out a beneficiary-designation form (often called a transfer-on-death or pay-on-death form) provided by the institution. After your lifetime, the asset passes directly to The Rutherford Institute, enabling us to continue our work safeguarding religious freedom for future generations.
     
  • By placing your gift into a Pooled Income Fund, which is a fund made up of gifts from a number of people, you can receive an income based on the fund's performance plus a current income tax charitable deduction. At your death, your shares in the fund go to The Rutherford Institute to further its work.
     
  • Finally, you can also name The Rutherford Institute as a beneficiary for all or part of your retirement plan. This keeps the funds from being taxed twice at your death (income tax and estate tax). The Rutherford Institute receives the gift, and your estate gets a tax deduction.

The following legal designation information should be used when and if you decide to name The Rutherford Institute as a beneficiaryof retirement plans, insurance policies, and bank, brokerage and other accounts:

NAME: The Rutherford Institute
ADDRESS: 1440 Sachem Place, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901
TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 52-1267484 (in place of Social Security number)
RELATIONSHIP: Non-profit organization
LEGAL LANGUAGE:  The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and with principal business address of 1440 Sachem Place, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22901.

The Rutherford Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization, gifts to which are deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes.

Copyright 2024 © The Rutherford Institute • Post Office Box 7482 • Charlottesville, VA 22906-7482 (434) 978-3888
The Rutherford Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are fully deductible as a charitable contribution.