Brookings Partners Newsletter Fall 2020

BROOKINGS PARTNERS

Gift Planning News & Strategies

Fall 2020

With Gratitude From Our Director

While 2020 has been a very challenging year, I'm filled with gratitude as I reflect on the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am grateful to be at Washington University as the director of the Planned Giving Office and for my family's smooth transition from Madison, Wisconsin, to the St. Louis region during the pandemic. My appreciation extends to my colleagues, who have been so wonderful during my first eight months. While these are personal, I also am grateful for all the folks who have designated a planned gift that will benefit WashU. Words cannot adequately express our sincere gratitude for your future gifts.

As with most universities, the pandemic has prompted the Office of Planned Giving to reevaluate how we communicate with our alumni and friends. Transitioning the Brookings Partners newsletter to a digital format is one of many changes we have made that enables us to share exciting new interactive content.

In the Passion section, you will meet a few of our wonderful planned giving donors and members of the Robert S. Brookings Partners. We hope these videos inspire you to share your own planned giving story. Our Plan section provides information on timely opportunities in planned giving, including updates on legislative changes that may affect your future plans. Last, our Impact section highlights stories about how planned gifts, regardless of the size, are transforming our great university.

I wish you all a healthy and safe holiday season and thank you for being a part of our WashU family.

Warm regards,

Russ Austin signature

Russ Austin
Associate Vice Chancellor for Planned Giving

We’d love to hear your planned giving story, and we invite you to share it with us—and our readers—in a short video. Please email us for more information.

Thomas R.S. “Trip” Smith, MBA ’19

Dea R. Hoover, BS ’93, and Declan Rutan

Eric B. Zurbrugg, MD ’70, and Jo Beamer Zurbrugg, MD ’70

Eric B. Zurbrugg and
Jo Beamer Zurbrugg, both MD ’70

Interest Rates Enhance Benefits of Grantor Charitable Lead Trusts

Would you like to support one or more charities without giving up the assets used to make the gift? If so, now is an opportune time to consider a grantor charitable lead trust (GCLT). With interest rates at all-time lows, the deduction for creating a GCLT is higher today given that lower interest rates generate a higher charitable deduction. Read on

Brookings Partners Virtual Event

Save the date for the annual Brookings Partners event! Plan to join us on Jan. 13, 2021, for an online celebration of the Robert S. Brookings Partners, the planned giving legacy society that recognizes individuals who have chosen to support WashU through estate gifts, life income plans, or other planned gifts. Watch your email for additional details.

The SECURE Act: Its Impact on Wealth Transfer

The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) is the largest change to retirement plan law in over a decade. Associate Vice Chancellor for Planned Giving Russ Austin shares gift-planning strategies that will enable you to support family, reduce taxes and maximize your philanthropic support. Watch the video.

Estate Gift Will Bolster Lymphoma Research

The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine received a gift from the estate of Eveline Hoffman to advance the pathbreaking lymphoma research of Nancy Bartlett, MD, the Koman Chair in Medical Oncology at the School of Medicine. Read on

Have You Included WashU in Your Plans?

Sharing details of your bequest or planned gift with the university will ensure that your gift will be used for the purpose you intend and will contribute to the continued progress and impact of Washington University. We invite you to please share your giving intentions with us.

Robert S. Brookings Partners
Bequests, beneficiary designations, and other planned gifts provide critical future support to continue advancing education, research, and patient care at Washington University. The Robert S. Brookings Partners recognizes individuals who have chosen to support Washington University through estate gifts, life income plans, or other planned gifts. The generosity of these donors creates future opportunities that will benefit the university for generations to come. Learn more or notify us of a gift in your will, trust, or other planned gift.

For more information on planned giving, or to notify the university of a gift in your will or trust, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 800-835-3503 or
314-935-5373 or email plannedgiving@wustl.edu.

Office of Planned Giving
One Brookings Drive
MSC 1193
St. Louis, MO 63130

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