Washington Policy Center is pleased to announce that we have formalized our Legacy Society! A Legacy Society is important for many reasons—first and foremost for you, our valued supporter. As said by well-known local estate planner Alan Pratt of Bellevue’s Pratt Legacy Advisors “Everyone leaves a legacy. It is not an option— you either have a plan by default which is laid out for you by the government, or you have a plan by design where YOU decide who benefits from your hard-earned estate. Taking the time now can ensure your legacy properly reflects your values.”

As you’re most likely aware, legacy gifts (often also know as planned gifts) is a term which most commonly refers to gifts left in a donor’s will. With a little planning now, your generous bequest will support Washington Policy Center and our mission to improve Washington state through free-market solutions far into the future. Now is the time to invest in solutions that will make our state a wonderful place to live for generations to come.

WPC’s new Legacy Society offers many benefits such as invitations to special events and private meetings with key free-market leaders and elected officials, distinguished recognition at WPC’s Annual Dinner, prime seating at all WPC events and a newly designed Legacy Society lapel pin. Best of all, you know your legacy will live on and support one of the causes you care about most—freedom!

We know some of our valued members have already planned a gift for WPC in their estate plan. If this is the case for you, please let us know! We would like to thank and recognize you appropriately, and we would like to share with you some of the great benefits of our new Legacy Society. We look forward to hearing from you!

A bequest of your assets to Washington Policy Center can bring a tax benefit to your family. Your estate will be entitled to an “estate tax charitable deduction” for the full value of your bequest. To leave a gift for WPC in your will or for other planned giving options such as charitable remainder trusts, we suggest you visit your trusted financial planner or attorney. The language can be very simple, here is an example:

I direct my personal representative to make the following charitable contribution from my property.

The sum of __________________ to Washington Policy Center of Washington state (IRS Tax ID #91- 1752769), provided that this charity is still in existence at my death, qualifies for a charitable tax deduction, and is following its original mission as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan think tank that promotes sound public policy based on free-market solutions.

Mr. Pratt goes onto explain that NOW is the time to act in order to take advantage of the current tax landscape that is changing as of January 1, 2013. “You can mitigate or eliminate totally your unnecessary tax exposure through modest 2012 family gifting strategies. This is an exciting time to plan for your legacy – spending a little time now will ensure your favorite organizations that reflect your values remain permanent fixtures in our state!”

Please contact Kaylee Donahue at 206-937-9691 or kdonahue@washingtonpolicy.org for more information!