Posted on 10/17/2020 4:44:55 PM PDT by Buttons12
An old acquaintance, in her eighties and totally lucid, asked me who to leave her estate to. She has no living descendants, nobody she knows (or prefers, anyway) that she wants to make an heir. She asked for suggestions.
I don't want the honor. She has a fairly nice house, and a small vacation cottage, both paid for. An old car, probably some life insurance, and a lot of mementos.
Any suggestions? Aside from "me, me!" I mean something like a charity, or some creative idea.
Tell her to leave it to you, you’ll need to be a steadfast friend by her side for the rest of her life. In the end you can liquidate and donate to FR or other conservative causes.
Good fun with the occasional flight with scrapes and bruises.
The proper mafia term is kick up.
Charities do not handle property well. They tend to off load after a short period of time to whoever will pay the most. More often than not it would be far from the original owners wishes.
I figured that would be the first reply of this thread. LOL.
Honestly, if she is totally lucid she does not need your help.
There are independent estate planners who can provide much better advice. They probably are not on FR.
I would say name 5 or 6 good causes. You’ll just need their tax id numbers and legal names. Look for groups that change people’s lives by requiring something of them rather than giving them something for free. Animal shelters and other animal charities works too.
SALVATION ARMY would get my vote
I'm looking for suggestions, not advice. Sorry your feathers got ruffled!
Free Republic!
Any attorneys or accountants here think her estate could be left to “Buttons12” with the express agreement that he would donate it to the tax deductible charity of her choice, and he would gain the tax deduction personally?
Find out what she values. That’s something I never thought of, I will pick her brain. She was married for 40 years, he died a few years ago age 90...maybe she would like to leave everything to veterans. He fought in the Pacific, a Navy man.
Perhaps her college or university, if she attended one. The local library, also.
Does she have a church? Perhaps she could establish an endowment at her church, we have one at ours and the annual earnings help support missions and facilities needs.
Does she have any causes she likes?
So many charities skin so much off the top. I suggest the Salvation Army and would recommend this lady find a church that teaches the Bible from a Christ centered position of by faith in Jesus Christ.
I don't need it, and she knows this...
I have been thinking about charities and honestly one thing that really helps people is dentistry. So many people with bad teeth. Something that is so important but a lot of times put off because of expense or fear. A person’s life can be changed by dental work.
She needs to consult an estate lawyer for the best way to gift her estate. Depending on the size various trust accounts might be a good idea. Some suggestions.
Her house of worship.
A local pregnancy care center.
A religious charity of her choice.
Set up a scholarship.
Donate funds for a playground.
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