Bequests offer alumni, alumnae, and friends a way to help provide for the future of Lawrence without making changes in their current financial arrangements. Estate commitments have been and will continue to be a significant element in Lawrence's endowment growth and continued success. A living trust is a revocable trust usually written to complement a will in an individual's estate plan. Because living trusts are subject to change at a donor's discretion, no income tax benefits are made available to the donor. Significant estate tax savings may result, however, from a carefully constructed living trust that includes provisions for Lawrence and other qualified charitable, educational, research, or religious organizations. Your professional advisor can help you determine your options in this regard

Whether by a will provision or a distribution from a revocable (living) trust, commitments for Lawrence included in an estate plan will qualify for an estate tax charitable deduction.

There are many kinds of bequests that allow individuals to select the options that work best for each set of circumstances.

Pecuniary Bequest
...by which Lawrence receives a specified dollar amount.

Specific Bequests
...by which Lawrence receives specified assets, such as a stock or real estate holdings, partnership interests, or items of tangible personal property (artwork or antiques, for example).

Residuary Bequests
...by which Lawrence receives a percentage of the remainder of a donor's estate after specified legacies, debts, taxes, and last expenses are paid.

Bequests to an Annuity for the Benefit of a Loved One
...by which named beneficiaries receive income from a trust established under the will of the donor, and upon the death of the last surviving beneficiary, all or part of the principal passes to Lawrence.

Bequests to a Charitable Lead Trust
...by which Lawrence receives income from a trust established under the will of the donor, and upon the expiration of the trust the principal passes to the donor's named beneficiary.

Contingent Bequests
...by which property is distributed to Lawrence only if other named beneficiaries are no longer alive.