Estate Planning

As a thank you for to you and your family for your love and support of Manitowoc Lutheran High School the MLHS Foundation is offering Free one-on-one coaching for estate planning to 100 MLHS Families. Estate planning (also called a will or trust) is a collection of documents that specify how you want your money and other assets distributed after your death, making it easier for your loved ones to handle your affairs during a time of grief. Individuals will be responsible for paying attorney fees however, due to a generous donation, when you complete the one-on-one coaching through SFC you will be reimbursed up to $500 for the attorney fees!

SFC Estate Coaching, founded by career educator Craig Mellendorf, will help you understand your options and every aspect of your estate. He, along with Tom Slye (the Estate Coach assigned to Manitowoc Lutheran), will lay out the potential options you have to help ensure your estate goes to the people and organizations you care about and show examples of how you can reduce or eliminate taxes associated with a will or trust.

Watch the video below for information on SFC and the services they provide.

CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment or contact Tom Slye by email or call him at 414-581-1417. This gift is only available to 100 MLHS families, over 60 spots have already been claimed so act now.

Understanding Endowment Options

Endowed Gifts

An endowment is a donation of money or property which produces investment income to be used for a specific purpose determined by the donor. An endowment can also refer to the total of a ministry's investable assets, also known as principal or corpus, which is meant to be used for operations or programs that are consistent with the wishes of the donor. Most endowments are designed to keep the principal amount intact while using the investment income for ministry.

Memorials

A memorial gift is one which is given in memory of an individual and may be in the form of a monetary donation or a physical asset.

Real Estate

MLHS accepts gifts of real estate that meet its gift acceptance policy.

Charitable Lead Trust

A charitable lead trust is an irrevocable trust designed to provide financial support to one or more charities for a period of time, with the remaining assets eventually going to family members or other beneficiaries. Charitable lead trusts are often considered to be the inverse of a charitable remainder trust.

Donor Advised Funds

A donor-advised fund is like a charitable investment account, for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations and ministries you care about. When you contribute cash, securities or other assets to a donor-advised fund at a public charity, you are generally eligible to take an immediate tax deduction. Those funds can then be invested for tax-free growth and you can recommend grants to virtually any IRS-qualified public charity from your account.

Wills and Living Trusts

You can support ministry with a bequest from your estate at your death. Your will or living trust can direct the gift and you can choose a specific amount or a percentage of your estate.

Beneficiary Designations

Gifts to ministry or donor advised funds can be made from your qualified retirement account, i.e., IRA, 401k, 403b, or life insurance policy through a beneficiary designation.

Charitable Gift Annuities

A gift annuity is a contract between you and a qualified charity in which you make a gift of cash or securities in exchange for fixed annuity payments for life. After the death of the annuitant(s), the remainder of the gift goes to the designated charity.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

A charitable remainder trust is a tax-exempt irrevocable trust designed to reduce the taxable income of individuals by first dispersing income to the beneficiaries of the trust for a specified period of time and then donating the remainder of the trust to the designated charity. A CRT may be set up during your lifetime to provide income or can be funded at death to disperse income to beneficiaries for a predetermined period of time with the remainder going to charity.

Please contact our Mission Advancement Director Kevin Buch with any questions you may have.