This Make-a-Will Month, Protect the People and Causes You Love

This Make-a-Will Month,
Protect the People and Causes You Love

August is Make-a-Will Month. No matter what age you are, it’s never too early to make a plan for the future — wills are an important planning tool for everyone.  

Making your will helps you take care of your loved ones as well as the causes you care about. It allows you to create your legacy and know that you will have an enduring impact. 

At UW Medicine, your estate gift can benefit our students, faculty, researchers and patients by providing steady, long-lasting support they can count on. Your thoughtful generosity can help make our communities healthier for many years to come. 

Ready to get started? Explore this page to read about the different types of planned gifts and how you can make a gift in your will. Just click on any section below to learn more.  

Questions? We can help.

If you have questions about making an estate plan, or if you’d like to let us know about your planned gift, please contact us at planmed@uw.edu or complete this form.

Planned Gifts at a Glance

GIFTS THAT PROVIDE YOU WITH INCOME

Advantages to You

  • Current income tax deduction
  • Portion of payments may be tax-free
  • Fixed and predictable payments

Beneficiary

  • One or two annuitant beneficiaries
  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Current income tax deduction
  • No immediate capital gain recognition on transfer of appreciated assets
  • Diversification of investments
  • Variable payments for life or term of years

Beneficiary

  • One or more beneficiaries
  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Current income tax deduction
  • Income stream
  • Diversification of investments

Beneficiary

  • One or more beneficiaries
  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

GIFTS THAT HELP THE UW MEDICINE TODAY

Advantages to You

  • Current income tax deduction
  • See your gift in action during your lifetime

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is immediate beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Potential gift tax savings on transfer of assets to individual beneficiaries

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is immediate beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • The rollover counts toward your required minimum distribution for the year
  • Charitable IRA rollovers are a tax-free gift
  • Your charitable IRA rollover may reduce your taxable income

See your gift in action during your lifetime

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is immediate beneficiary
  • You or your heirs are future beneficiaries

GIFTS FROM YOUR ESTATE

Advantages to You

  • Charitable deduction for taxable estates
  • Allows you to make a gift at no immediate cost to you

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Allows you to make a gift at little cost to you

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Avoids double taxation of assets
  • UW applies the full amount of plan assets to the purpose you intended

Beneficiary

  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

Advantages to You

  • Current income tax deduction
  • Estate tax savings
  • Continued use of property (house) for life

Beneficiary

  • You retain lifetime beneficial use of property
  • UW Medicine is future beneficiary

How to Give

Making a planned gift is a deeply personal decision, and you can customize your arrangements to fit your resources and your financial goals. You may find it helpful to consider these steps as you plan:

  1. Choose the area or program at UW Medicine that you’d like to support.
  2. Review your assets with your attorney or financial manager.
  3. Think about your short-term and long-term financial goals.
    • How close are you to retirement?
    • What are your projected needs for your lifetime?
    • Do you have dependents?
  4. Consider your planned giving options and the benefits they offer.
  5. Contact UW Medicine’s planned giving team for further assistance.

Sharing Your Plans

If you’ve included UW Medicine in your estate plans — or if you intend to — please let us know. We can help you make sure that your intentions are fully understood and fulfilled, and our services are completely confidential. We can also provide you with sample gift language for your will. And, of course, we would enjoy welcoming you to UW Medicine’s Heritage Society.

Heritage Society

We are very grateful to the members of UW Medicine’s Heritage Society: alumni, friends and patients who have made planned gift commitments to research, education and patient care at UW Medicine.

Heritage Society members receive exciting benefits such as donor recognition and invitations to special events.