A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make in your will or trust. With the help of an advisor, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends, or United Way of Southern Maine as part of your estate plan.

A bequest may be made in several ways:

• Gift of a percentage of your estate.
• Gift of a specific dollar amount or asset.
• Gift from the balance or residue of your estate.

Gift from a retirement asset, such as an IRA account: If the IRA were given to your family, much of the value may be lost through estate and income taxes. By designating United Way of Southern Maine as the beneficiary of all or part of your IRA (using a beneficiary designation form provided by your custodian), the full value of the gift is transferred tax-free at your death and your estate receives an estate tax charitable deduction.