Remember The Wistar Institute in your will or by way of some other form of planned gift. You may be able to receive income for life, save taxes, provide for loved ones, and help save lives through science with careful financial planning that includes a bequest or other planned gift for medical research. Whichever way you choose, we strongly recommend seeking the advice of a planned giving professional and your attorney.
There are several ways to remember The Wistar Institute in your estate plans. Chief among these are:

· Giving Through Your Will
· Charitable Remainder Trusts
· Real Estate
· Life Insurance

You become a lifetime member of the Wistar Heritage Society simply by informing the Institute that you have committed personal resources to Wistar through your will or some other form of revocable gift. As a Heritage Society member you will receive a distinctive certificate of membership and invitations to Wistar Institute educational programs.

Giving Through Your Will

The simplest way to make a planned gift to The Wistar Institute is to remember it within the language of your will. You may do this in several ways - as a primary, a contingent, or residual beneficiary. As a primary beneficiary Wistar would be the recipient of some specific percentage of your estate, a specific amount, or a certain personal property or security. As a contingent beneficiary Wistar would be the recipient of your estate or a portion only if someone named in your will predeceases you. As a residual beneficiary Wistar would receive whatever remains only after all debts, taxes, expenses, and other bequests are paid. Any of these bequests can memorialize a family member or honor a colleague and can provide scholarships or fund other areas of interest.

Charitable Gift Annuities

One of the most convenient methods to make a planned gift is to fund a charitable gift annuity. This is a contract (not a "trust"), under which The Wistar Institute, in return for a transfer of cash, marketable securities or other assets, agrees to pay a fixed amount of money (payment) to one or two individuals, for their lifetime.

The contributed property is given irrevocably and becomes a part of the charity's assets, and the payments are a general obligation of the charity. The annuity is backed by the charity's entire assets, not just by the property contributed.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

You may choose to support Wistar by creating a Charitable Remainder Trust. In this case you wouldplaces assets into an irrevocable trust. In exchange for this the donor receives an immediate tax deduction, and income for life or a specified period of time. He/she may also designate other beneficiaries, and when all beneficiaries of the trust are deceased the remaining amount transfers to Wistar for the use designated by the donor. Your estate receives exclusion for the amount of the trust.

Trusts may be planned to provide a fixed payout (Charitable Annuity Trust,) or a variable payment made annually or more frequently (Charitable Unitrust) depending on the growth in the value of assets. There are other types of charitable trusts that could meet your specific financial needs. We highly recommend consulting an attorney or other financial professional when considering the creation of any type of charitable trust.

Real Estate Gifts with Retained Life Interest

There are methods in which you would be able to continue to live in a personal residence and still avoid future capital-gain tax on the appreciation of this property by gifting it to The Wistar Institute.

Life Insurance

Life insurance may provide a convenient method of making a planned gift to Wistar. By making Wistar the owner of a new policy, your payments become tax deductible. By making Wistar the beneficiary of an existing policy you receive a deduction as you make future premium payments. In either case your estate also receives a deduction when the policy amount is received by Wistar.

The Wistar Heritage Society

All planned gifts are recognized through The Wistar Heritage society. The Wistar Heritage Society was established to recognize the foresight and generosity of individuals who elect to perpetuate their support of biomedical research by including the Institute in their wills or estate plans. Members receive lifetime recognition by means of a distinctive plaque in the Institute's atrium and listings in annual reports. Gifts of over $10,000 are also recognized permanently on Wistar's Wall of Honor. Membership is a partnership for life that offers the promise for discovery of new treatments and cures for cancer and other diseases.

For more information on planned giving please contact our Development Office at 215-898-3930.