Bequests

Another way in which interested parties can pledge their financial support for TBPWF is through a bequest in their will or trust. A bequest offers several advantages, such as:

  • Providing a simple way to make future gifts to TBPWF, yet permitting the donor to retain control over the property during the donor’s lifetime;
  • Having no impact on current assets;
  • Providing a potential deduction for the donor’s taxable estate, which might reduce any applicable estate taxes; and
  • Affording the personal satisfaction that comes from directing one’s own “social capital”.

Interested parties can also choose from among different types of bequests. The manner in which donors include a gift in their will or trust depends upon the goal which they want to accomplish and what they want to gift to the Texas Business and Professional Women’s Foundation.

Here are a few examples:

specific bequest is the simplest form of bequest. With this, you designate a fixed dollar amount, a certain percentage of your estate or specific property to the beneficiary, in this case, TBPWF. This type bequest is appropriate when you have an item of value, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, works of art or rare books, or a specific dollar amount or a portion of your estate, that you wish to leave to the Foundation. As an example, “I give the Texas Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Inc. $25,000” or “I give the Texas Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Inc. 100 shares of common stock issued by IBM Corporation.”

residual or proportional bequest designates either your entire estate or a percentage of your estate after other specific bequests are distributed. This type bequest offers the advantage of automatically adjusting in size as your estate increases or decreases over the years. As an example, “I give 25% of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to the Texas Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Inc.”

Contingent bequests are carried out only if circumstances make it impossible to carry out a primary bequest. So if all other designated beneficiaries are deceased, then a contingent beneficiary receives the bequest. As an example, “I give the Texas Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Inc. $25,000 if my niece Mary and my nephew Todd predecease me.”