Gift Planning

If you wish to include Blair as part of your estate planning, you may do so by naming Blair as a beneficiary under your will or revocable living trust. However, if your present planning documents are already in place, you may wish to consider adding a brief codicil or amendment to either document.

View sample language.

Of course, you are also free to make any gifts to Blair in memory or in honor of any person(s) of your choice or for specific purposes that you believe would be helpful to Blair and the School’s ongoing strategic planning. If you wish to do so, please contact Director of Advancement Cara Mohlmann at (908) 362-2031, or email mohlmc@blair.edu so that any questions in this regard may be fully explored and answered to your satisfaction.

Establish a Charitable Gift Annuity with Blair and receive income for life for you and, if you desire, for someone you love. A CGA provides you with a secure, stable income during your retirement years, while supporting Blair’s mission.

Details

• A CGA is a simple contract between you and Blair Academy.
• You transfer cash or securities to Blair. Our minimum gift requirement is $10,000.
• In exchange, Blair agrees to pay you, or one other beneficiary you name, a fixed sum each year for life.
• These payments are backed by all of the School’s assets and will not change regardless of fluctuation in the stock market or economy.
• Beneficiaries are recommended to be at least 65 years of age at the time of the gift.
• The remaining balance passes to Blair when the contract ends.

Benefits

• Receive dependable, fixed income for life in return for your gift.
• In many cases, increase the yield you are currently receiving from stocks, CDs or savings accounts.

Tax Benefits

• You will receive an immediate federal income tax deduction for a portion of your gift, based on the full value of the assets you contribute minus the present value of the life-income interest you retain.
• If you fund your charitable gift annuity with appreciated securities, naming yourself as beneficiary, no capital gains tax is due on the transfer. Only a portion of your capital gain will be reportable, and the tax will be spread over your annuity payments.
• Part of each annuity payment will be treated as a tax-free return of your principal. This effectively increases the yield from your annuity over your life expectancy.

Sample Rate Chart for Charitable Gift Annuity

(Blair recommends beneficiaries to be 65 and older)

A charitable gift annuity can provide a fixed income for life, an immediate tax deduction and future support for Blair.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust

You want the flexibility to invest and manage your gift plan, and also the security of stable income.

Details

• You transfer cash, securities, or other appreciated property into a trust.
• The trust makes fixed annual payments to you or to beneficiaries you name.
• When the trust terminates, the remainder passes to Blair to be used as you have directed.

Benefits

• Receive income for life or a term of years in return for your gift.
• Receive an immediate income tax deduction for a portion of your contribution.
• Pay no upfront capital gains tax on appreciated assets you donate.
• Your trust can meet personal or family needs that are tied to a specific time frame, such as tuition payments.

Calculate the income and benefits you may receive from your planned gift.

Charitable Lead Trusts

Reduces size of taxable estate; keeps property in family, often with reduced gift taxes

Details

• You contribute cash, securities or other property to a trust.
• The trust makes fixed annual payments to Blair for a specified term of years.
• When the trust ends, the remaining principal goes to your heirs.

Benefits

• You qualify for a gift tax deduction for the present value of the annuity payments to Blair Academy.
• The annuity payments and the term of the trust can be specified in such a way so as to reduce or even eliminate the transfer taxes due when the principal reverts to your heirs.
• All appreciation that takes place in the trust goes tax-free to your heirs.
• You can use your available estate tax credit to further reduce taxes on transfers to your heirs.
• You can have the satisfaction of making a significant gift to Blair now that reduces the taxes due on transfers to your heirs later.

Calculate the income and benefits you may receive from your planned gift.

To request a personal gift illustration, please contact:
Velma Lubliner
Director of Planned Giving
(908) 362-2041
lubliv@blair.edu

The popular IRA charitable rollover is now called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), and might be a good way for you to give to the School now. If you have a traditional IRA, you will probably be required to begin taking minimum distributions (RMD) at age 72 – changed from 70½ by the SECURE act of 2020. Income tax is due on those withdrawals unless the check comes directly to a qualified charity like Blair Academy. If you plan to support a charity like Blair, this might be a way to optimize your gift using pre-tax dollars.

Know the requirements to give to Blair tax-free from your IRA:

• You must be 70½ years old or older
• Gifts from $1 up to $100,000 per individual ($200,000 per couple) will count toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for a given calendar year
• The gift will not be included in your income for tax purposes (at the same time, it will not be available as an income tax charitable deduction)
• The check from your IRA must be made payable to Blair Academy

NOTE: The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, suspended all 2020 Required Minimum Distributions, yet allows voluntary Qualified Charitable Distributions which may be beneficial in reducing future RMDs. Please consult with your financial advisor to learn how the new law will affect your personal financial situation.

Visit our resources and documents page for more information.

IRAs & Retirement Plans

The impact of income and estate taxes on your IRA make it a favorable asset to contribute to Blair Academy through a beneficiary designation. Give us assets subject to double taxation, then leave more to your family.

How It Works:

• Name Blair as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other qualified plan.
• Designate us to receive all or a portion of the balance of your plan through your plan administrator.
• The balance in your plan passes to Blair after your death and/or your beneficiary’s death

Details:

• Avoid the double taxation your retirement savings would face if you designated them to your heirs.
• Continue to take regular lifetime withdrawals.
• You have flexibility to change beneficiaries if your family’s needs change during your lifetime.

Gifts of Life Insurance

You don’t need a large estate to make a significant gift to Blair. Here is one way how you can leverage your dollars for a larger gift.

How It Works:

• You transfer ownership of a paid-up life insurance policy to Blair.
• Blair elects to cash in the policy now or hold it.
• Or make Blair a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.

Details:

• Make a gift using an asset that you and your family no longer need.
• Receive an income tax deduction.
• In some cases, you can use the cash value in your policy to fund a life-income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity, charitable trust or pooled income fund.

To establish a planned gift using life insurance, please contact:
Velma Lubliner
Director of Planned Giving
(908) 362-2041
lubliv@blair.edu

Other Assets

• Real estate
• Retained life estate
• Personal property (art, collections, jewelry or other tangible property)

Calculate the income and benefits you may receive from your planned gift.

To establish a planned gift using any of these assets, please contact:
Velma Lubliner
Director of Planned Giving
(908) 362-2041
lubliv@blair.edu

Interested in seeing the income and benefits you may receive from your planned gift?

Take a minute to try our online gift calculator and generate sample calculations tailored to your specific parameters. The gift calculator is an interactive tool, provided by PGCalc, that enables you to calculate the income and tax benefits you may receive from making a planned gift to Blair.

There is no obligation, and the information you enter is completely secure and private. To begin, click on the "Personalize This Diagram" button below.

If you have any questions, please contact Velma Lubliner by phone at (908) 362-2041, or by email at lubliv@blair.edu.