Would you like to support a particular program? Establish a scholarship? Endow a department chair? Make a distinctive reunion gift? Make a gift in someone’s memory? Make an estate gift to Gould and join the William Bingham II Legacy Society.
When you include Gould in your estate planning you combine your personal values and your financial goals in a meaningful way. It is easy to make a gift that provides the maximum benefit to you, your family, and Gould.
The most common and easiest way to give an estate gift is by a direct bequest. This can be a specific amount of money or a percentage of your estate that you have chosen to leave to Gould in your will. Bequest gifts are not subject to federal estate taxes and can reduce your estate tax burden, with no limit on the amount of the deduction. The amount of your gift can be changed at any time you choose prior to your death.
Retirement plan benefits are often a significant part of your net worth and can be an excellent choice for an estate planning gift, as they have absolutely no current impact on your family’s income stream, and they are often subject to advantageous tax considerations. Retirement-plan benefits include assets held in individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, Keogh plans, and 403(b) plans.
Your after-life gift to Gould can provide you with income while you are still alive. Charitable remainder trusts and gift annuities can provide you with a reliable source of life income and still benefit Gould after your death. This type of estate gift can also provide significant tax savings.
An estate note is a simple but irrevocable pledge or debt against the donor's estate. This instrument binds the donor's estate to the extent not paid during the donor's lifetime. Estate notes may be pledged for either one or two lives. With a two-life estate note, the obligation is binding only on the estate of the person who lives longer.
A very secure approach, this type of gift transfers assets to a trustee and provides that scheduled payments are made to Gould for either a specified amount of time or until the end of your (and/or another person’s) life. This can result in an immediate charitable donation for gifts that will be made in subsequent years or a reduction (and possibly even a complete elimination) in gift and estate taxes that could pass on to your heirs when they receive their gift.
These, as all other types of estate planning gifts, should be thoroughly discussed and reviewed by you and your attorney and financial advisor.
You can also choose to leave real estate and other personal property assets to Gould, as many have done. In fact, Gould’s largest bequest ever came in this form, the Murial Park Mason House. Mrs. Mason left her home, personal property and land to Gould - at a value of +$5 million - and it has made a lasting difference to the school and the students who continue to benefit from it.
Leaving a legacy gift to Gould is a powerful way to make a lasting impact.
By including Gould Academy in your estate plans, you can support future generations of students and continue our tradition of excellence.
Discover What Inspires Members of the William Bingham II Society
List of 1 items.
Ken Remsen - Class of 1967
My commitment to support Gould in my Estate Plan was easy to make. I believe that Gould played the foundational role in setting me up for my life’s journey.
Stephen Schechter ’83 has been supporting Gould for over 26 years as a member of Gould’s 1836 Society. In 2015, he established the John L. Wight Scholarship to honor John Wight, a beloved faculty member and coach at Gould. This scholarship is awarded annually to a Gould student from the local area who demonstrates a passion for learning, a respect for the Maine outdoors, and an affinity for Nordic skiing.
I had the good fortune of attending Gould Academy my junior and senior year. Gould gave me the stability and structure I needed that I was not getting at the public school I had previously attended.
As I am rapidly approaching my 50th class reunion (yikes) at Gould, I have often pondered if my sojourn in both my career and educational path would have been similar if I had not attended Gould. I suspect not.