A Legacy of Hope
If you would like to make a lasting impact and support Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, there are several gift arrangements to choose from that will help ensure that we can continue our mission for years to come
Whether you would like to put your donation to work today or benefit us after your lifetime, you shouldn’t feel like you are choosing between your philanthropic goals and financial security. With careful planning, you can find a charitable plan that allows you to provide for your family and support Gilda’s Club Quad Cities.
How can planned giving benefit you?
Planned giving provides an opportunity for you to:
- Create a permanent legacy
- Save on taxes
- Support what you believe in with an enduring gift
How does planned giving benefit Gilda’s Club?
By including Gilda’s Club in your planned giving efforts you:
- Help produce a regular income to supplement ongoing fundraising efforts
- Provide the funds needed to create new or expand existing programs
- Change the outlook for the future
- Provide for unexpected emergencies
How do I contribute?
There are many ways in which one can give to Gilda’s Club through planned giving. Some of the more popular routes include:
- Wills and Living Trusts
- Beneficiary Designations to Retirement Plans or Life Insurance Policies
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- IRA Charitable Rollover
- Charitable Lead Trusts
- Gifts of Stock or Real Estate
- Memorials and Tribute Gifts
- Endowed Gifts
*Please talk to your attorney or financial advisor for other planned giving opportunities.
Common Estate Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A 2021 study done by Caring.com estimated that more than two-thirds of Americans (68%) do not have a will. The problem tends to fall into four themes:
- Failing to plan. Individuals need to make thoughtful plans for their assets after their lifetimes and prepare for the possibility of incapacity (see mistake #4). This is especially important for those with large estates, minor and/or special needs children, real estate in multiple states or business interests.
- Failing to coordinate beneficiary designations. Assets, such as life insurance or retirement plans, pass outside of an individual’s will via a beneficiary designation.
- Failing to review asset titles. Asset titling refers to the way in which you own an asset—including in your individual name, jointly with someone else or in a trust or other entity. Assets titled in joint tenancy pass outside an individual’s will and to the surviving joint tenant.
For example: A person’s will might indicate that everything goes to the children equally, but if a bank account is held in joint tenancy with just one child, it would pass only to that child. The result is that the children receive unequal shares when the intention was to divide all assets equally. - Failing to plan for disability or medical emergency. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6.2 million Americans 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Older generations (as well as all competent adults) need to prepare for incapacity and create durable powers of attorney and advance directives or living wills.
The Typical Causes
There are many reasons people may make these mistakes. Most often is that the individual:
- Doesn’t think they have a large enough estate.
- Doesn’t like to think about incapacity or death.
- Didn’t set aside time.
- Doesn’t know how to start the process and/or doesn’t have an estate planning attorney.
If you are among the majority of Americans who haven’t yet started the estate planning process, now is the time. Your family members and heirs will be glad you did.