List of 4 frequently asked questions.

• BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS: Gifts of Retirement Assets

  A beneficiary designation is a simple and easy way to make a meaningful gift to Harding Academy. You can name Harding Academy as a beneficiary of your retirement fund, life insurance, investment, or bank account. Since most beneficiary designated assets are not subject to probate, your gift will pass directly to Harding Academy and have an immediate impact on the school.

  
  Benefits

  • You can make a gift without committing your assets now
  • You can change your designation if your needs change during your lifetime
  • Avoid the potential of double taxation of your retirement savings
  • You can leave a legacy and provide future support to Harding Academy

  How to designate Harding Academy as your beneficiary

  Contact your retirement plan administrator, insurance agent, investment fund custodian, or bank for a change-of-beneficiary form. Then make your desired changes and return your completed form.

• BEQUESTS: Gifts in your Will or Trust

  The simplest form of gift planning—a bequest is a gift that is created through your will or trust and comes to Harding Academy after your lifetime. Bequests can be for any amount and can include cash, securities, real estate, or other property. They can be stated as a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder of your estate.
  
  

  Benefits

  • A bequest is free of federal and estate tax
  • Your bequest can be designated for a particular purpose (endowment, special fund, etc.)
  • A bequest can be changed later
  • You can leave a legacy and provide future support to Harding Academy

  How to name Harding Academy in your will or trust

  Bequest intentions are straightforward to organize. In as little as one sentence, you can complete your gift to Harding Academy.
  
  

  If you have named Harding Academy in your will or trust, please let us know so we can ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes. Notifying us of your plans will enable us to plan for the use of your future gift.

• CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES: Harding Academy pays you to give

  A charitable gift annuity is a contract between you and Harding Academy in which you receive guaranteed income for life in return for your gift. In short, Harding Academy will pay you to give.

  
  Benefits

  • You receive guaranteed income for life
  • You get an immediate tax deduction for a portion of your gift
  • A portion of your annuity payment will be tax-free for several years
  • You can leave a legacy and provide future support to George School

  How to establish a Harding Academy charitable gift annuity

  To participate, annuitants must be at least 65 years old, and the initial gift must be $10,000 or more. Harding Academy will pay you, you and your spouse, or any two beneficiaries you name, a fixed payment for life. The remainder balance will pass to Harding Academy when the contract ends.
  
  

  Alternatively, you can delay your payments to some point in the future and receive a higher payout rate for each year deferred. This option—called a deferred gift annuity—is ideal for younger donors who want to support Harding Academy now, receive an income tax deduction now, and enjoy guaranteed income later.

• CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUSTS: Magnify Your Giving

  A charitable remainder trust, or CRT, provides you or those you select a life income from assets you use to create it. At the end of the trust term, the balance in the trust goes to Harding Academy.

  
  Charitable remainder trusts may offer you tax benefits and the option for income. There are two ways to receive payments and each has its own benefits:

  
  The annuity trust pays you, each year, the same dollar amount you choose at the start. Your payments stay the same, regardless of fluctuations in trust investments.

  
  The unitrust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. The amount of your payments is redetermined annually. If the value of the trust increases, so do your payments. If the value decreases, however, so will your payments.

  
  Benefits

  • You get cash flow in return for your gift
  • If you fund your trust with appreciated securities, you pay no up-front capital gains tax
  • You can make additional gifts to the trust as your circumstances allow to gain additional cash flow and tax benefit
  • You can leave a legacy and provide future support to Harding Academy