Estate Planninggifts for our future

Dickinson College is fortunate to have so many generous alumni who support the college. In my conversations with alumni, many of them say they wish they could do more. One way to do more is to plan

a gift that will be given to the college at a later time. You can do this by planning now to make that future gift through your will or by making Dickinson the beneficiary of a retirement plan, insurance policy or trust.

As you develop a plan, consider your time and place in life: Do you have young children? Have you taken on the responsibility to care for an aging parent? Are you approaching retirement? Think about how you wish to provide for family, friends and organizations that are important to you. What kind of legacy do you wish to leave? These are important questions that may have different answers at different points in our lives.

As the alumni profiled inside show, there truly is a way for all of us both to accomplish our individual goals and support Dickinson in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Informing the college of your plans not only helps us to recognize your thoughtful commitment as a member of the college’s Old West Society, but it also helps us to understand what impact you want your gift to have at Dickinson.

To inform Dickinson of your plans or to learn more about ways to leave your legacy, please complete and return the attached form. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you or your estate planner would like to discuss your plans, please contact Joe Martellaro, gift planning officer, at 717-254-8959 or marteljo@dickinson.edu.

j o e m a r t e l l a r o | gift planning officer

How to Begin Your Planning

Your will represents the distribution of your life’s work. For most of us, that makes the allocations we provide through our wills by far the largest transfer of resources we will ever make. With that in mind, here are some general principles to guide your decision making:

1. Add up your assets: cash, securities, bonds, real estate (residence, vacation homes, investment property, etc.), mutual funds, personal property (art, jewelry, special collections, etc.), business interests, retirement assets and insurance policies.

2. Know who you want your beneficiaries to be: family, friends and charitable organizations.

3. Determine what you want each beneficiary to inherit.

4. Decide if you want to give special assets, such as art or jewelry.

5. Determine the beneficiary status of assets outside your will, such as insurance policies and retirement funds. Decide how you would like these assets to be used, and be sure the beneficiary status is accurate and up-to-date.

6. Seek professional advice. Federal and state estate-tax law changes can have an impact on your planning; professional advisors can be very helpful.

If Dickinson will be named as a beneficiary, please notify us of your intentions (even if you wish to remain anonymous to the public). Your notification allows us to understand how you want your gift to be used, acknowledge your gift and keep you involved in the activities of the Old West Society.

Once your will has been established, review it annually or after a life-changing event, such as the birth of a child, retirement or the death of a partner.

Though the process is not always easy, the relief you will feel in knowing you have provided for those you value most will be worth the effort.

For Greg Zimmerman ’83, supporting Dickinson financially and as a volunteer for the last 30 years has been a way of giving back for all he received. “In a lot of ways, I look at my decision to go to Dickinson as the best I’ve ever made,” he says.

That decision gave Zimmerman the broad liberal-arts education that he sees as the secret to his success. After graduating, he attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania, eventually leaving his job at a large law firm for the world of commercial real estate. Today he is senior vice president of Big Box Development at Simon Property Group, the world’s biggest real-estate company.

“Dickinson has been great for my career for a number of reasons,” he explains. “I learned leadership skills, and I just learned how to think. That’s really important. I’m a big believer in a liberal-arts education and the environment in which Dickinson provides it.”

In the business of making hefty financial decisions every day, Zimmerman says taking the step to increase his giving through an estate gift was one of the easiest he’s had to make.

“Deciding to include Dickinson in my estate was never the issue for me. It was just a matter of figuring out how to do it and what the best use of the funds would be,” he explains. The former history major’s gift will support an endowed faculty chair in the history department.

With his Dickinson gift secured, Zimmerman wants to encourage others to help pave the way for future Dickinsonians. “A lot of people don’t realize that estate giving is a great opportunity,” he says. “They need to know that the college can leverage a gift like this right away, so it helps with other grants and fundraising … That the money can help Dickinson and leave a legacy is very important to my wife and me.”

gr

eg

’8

3 a

nd

mir

a z

imm

er

ma

n

i look at my decision

to go to dickinson

as the best i’ve ever made.

Photo/quote

it’s wonderful to be

able to give to

the college in a

planned way.

Photo/quote Bio

lo

uis

e h

au

er

gr

ee

nb

er

g ’

54

Louise Greenberg ’54 has stayed tied to Dickinson for more than five decades. After graduating she became president of the Philadelphia Alumni Club, served on the Alumni Council and later became a member of the Board of Trustees.

“I loved the college, so I always wanted to stay involved,” she says. “I received an excellent education in the sciences and liberal arts and met so many great friends.”

After earning a master’s degree in biochemistry from Bryn Mawr College, Greenberg worked as a scientist for Smith, Kline and French, researching and developing drugs for the brain and central nervous system for 12 years. Then she earned her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr and joined the pharmacology department of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she taught and conducted research in neuropharmacology and neurochemistry.

Greenberg credits her liberal-arts Dickinson education with preparing her well for a career in science. “It was always useful to have that broad liberal-arts background,” she says. “I know it made me better able to speak and write about my research.”

Knowing that a liberal-arts grounding is vital for future scientists, Greenberg has long supported the sciences at Dickinson. As a trustee, she formed and headed the science task force that raised funds for the sciences at Dickinson during the 1990s. Most recently, she has established funds through her estate plans to support biochemistry student-faculty research at Dickinson.

“It’s wonderful to be able to give to the college in a planned way,” she explains. “ I’m very happy to know I’m helping to provide the kinds of research experiences that are extremely valuable to students.”

Asking Dan ’02 and Aimee Zoppi Confer ’00 to imagine life without Dickinson is a bit like asking George Bailey to imagine a different hometown than Bedford Falls. Dickinson is where they met and forged lifelong friendships—a place where they broadened horizons, academically, culturally and socially.

“Dickinson has given us so much,” says Aimee, a teacher, photographer and at-home mom to James (6) and Emma (3 1/2), who has made a home just a block from campus, where husband Dan works as assistant director of campus life. “We’ve built so many connections—we’re very blessed in that way.”

So for the Confers, the question was not whether to give back. It was the very personal decision of how.

Dan’s first contribution—as a Dickinson senior and groom-to-be—was $20.02, a tribute to his class year. As he and Aimee built a life together, they increased gifts as they were able. Last year, when Dan learned that he could invest in a life-insurance policy with Dickinson as beneficiary, he was thrilled.

“It makes a lot of sense for a young person to do this, because most can’t write a check for $10,000 or $20,000, but they can give something,” says Dan, noting that their annual three-digit investment will add up to a formidable gift someday. “This option gives them more bang for their buck.”

The Confers’ generosity is contagious: In recent years, several students have elected to make senior-class gift-drive contributions in Dan’s name. “I was absolutely honored,” Dan says. “It feels good to give back and to inspire others to too.”

da

n ’

02

an

d a

ime

e z

op

pi

co

nf

er

’0

0

dickinson has given us

so much … it feels

good to give back.

Gifts Through Your Will

There are many types of outright bequests, including:

Specific Bequest: This is the most popular type of charitable bequest. You simply leave a specific dollar amount (e.g., $25,000).

Percentage Bequest: You direct that a certain percentage of your estate goes to Dickinson (e.g., 20 percent). Regardless of the size of your estate at death (after payment of debts, expenses and taxes), you’ll know that a portion of your estate will benefit the college.

Residual Bequest: You specify that after all other specific bequests, taxes and expenses have been paid, Dickinson receives all or a portion of what remains—the residue.

Contingent Bequest: Dickinson is named the contingent or next beneficiary should the primary beneficiary (spouse, child, friend, etc.) die before you.

Sample bequest language:

“ I give ____________ (dollar amount, percentage amount, or description of the asset) to Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to be used for the general purposes of the college.”

If you wish to designate a specific use for the bequest gift, please contact us prior to finalizing your plans to discuss the designations you are considering. This will help us to make sure your wishes can be fulfilled.

Gifts Through a Retirement Plan

You may find that retirement plans such as 401(k), 403(b), IRAs, profit sharing plans, Keogh plans and other qualified retirement plans make up a significant portion of your estate. When planning, you naturally may designate a child or other relative as the beneficiary of the account.

However, under current law, the IRS considers the balance left in your account to be untaxed income. The result? For estates subject to estate tax, up to 70 percent of the value of the retirement plan can be eaten up in taxes before your designated beneficiary sees a dime of your hard-earned resources.

One way to avoid such taxation is to name Dickinson as the beneficiary of your retirement plan and use other assets not subject to income tax to make gifts to loved ones and other heirs. As a nonprofit organization, Dickinson will not pay taxes on the funds, and the gift will not be subject to estate tax.

When you consider a gift from your retirement plan, keep the following points in mind:

• Direct the gift to Dickinson via your plan’s beneficiary designation form, rather than including the account in your taxable estate and then bequeathing it to the college.

• Don’t use the balance remaining in your retirement account to make a specific bequest through your will. If the funds in your retirement plan end up in your estate, they may be taxed at a much higher rate than you anticipate.

• Retirement plans do not require a single beneficiary; if you would like some of those assets to benefit your family, consider making Dickinson a partial beneficiary of your plan.

The Old West Society

Established in the tradition of providing a living record of the legacy of our graduates, parents and friends, the Old West Society recognizes those individuals who have provided future support for Dickinson College through their estate plans or through a life-income arrangement that will mature as a gift in the future.

The opportunities to provide for Dickinson through your estate or life-income plan are numerous. From gifts of cash to gifts that allow you to retain income for life, Dickinson can help you find the right plan for you. To assist us in updating our records and to allow us to acknowledge any existing arrangements you may have, please complete the information below.

My/Our Name(s): Class Year:

Address:

Phone: E-mail:

q I/we would like to consider including Dickinson in my/our estate plans. Please contact me by: q Phone q E-mail

q I/we have included Dickinson in my/our plans in one or more of the ways noted below. It is my/our pleasure to accept membership in the Old West Society.

Gifts Through Your Estate: q Will q Living Trust q Life Insurance Beneficiary

Gifts That Provide You Income: q Charitable Gift Annuity q Charitable Trust

Retirement Plan Beneficiary: q IRA Account q Employer Plan (401k)

Other:

Although notifying Dickinson in your lifetime is not required, doing so allows the college to recognize your generosity and inspires others to give. Your notification need not be more than a simple statement that you have included Dickinson in your plans along with an explanation of the type of gift you plan to make. You may also choose to share the page of your will referencing Dickinson if you are comfortable doing so. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

q I have included a copy of the page of my will recognizing Dickinson.

q I have included Dickinson in my will as follows:

Ways to Give to Dickinson College

By check, payable to Dickinson College: Office of College Advancement Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013

By Discover, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express:

• by mail at the above address

• by calling the Office of College Advancement, at 800-543-3809

• securely online, at www.dickinson.edu/gift

• via automatic monthly deduction. For information, call the Office of College Advancement at 800-543-3809 or e-mail giving@dickinson.edu.

By a gift of stock:

• call the Office of College Advancement at 800-543-3809 or e-mail giving@dickinson.edu.

Through various gift plans:

• gifts that provide income to you (charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, etc.)

• life insurance

• gifts through your retirement account or through your estate

• contact Joe Martellaro, gift planning officer, at 800-543-3809 or marteljo@dickinson.edu.

Dep

th, D

estin

y: D

icki

nson

.

P.O

. Box

177

3C

arlis

le, P

A 1

7013

NO

NPR

OFI

T O

RG

. U

.S. P

OST

AG

EPA

IDC

AR

LISL

E, P

APE

RM

IT N

O. 1

73