Gifts of Beneficiary Designations
A beneficiary designation is the simplest way to make a legacy gift to New York Public Radio. When you complete your beneficiary designation form, simply name New York Public Radio as a full, partial or contingent beneficiary and provide our federal taxpayer identification number (13-3015230). In addition, these gifts bypass probate and go directly to your beneficiaries.
Some common designation options are:
- Retirement plans [e.g., traditional IRA, Keogh, 401(k)]: Including New York Public Radio as a beneficiary enables you to avoid substantial income taxes that would have been due if a retirement plan were left to non-spousal heirs. It is strongly advised that you name New York Public Radio as a beneficiary of a retirement plan through your beneficiary designation form and not through your will, which may jeopardize tax benefits. To obtain a beneficiary designation form, contact your plan administrator and insert “New York Public Radio, 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013, federal taxpayer identification number: 13-3015230” as a beneficiary.
- Insurance policies: Naming New York Public Radio as a beneficiary of all or part of your life insurance proceeds is another simple way to make a legacy gift. For an existing policy, obtain a beneficiary designation form from the life insurance company and name New York Public Radio as the beneficiary. For an added benefit, you could name New York Public Radio the owner of the policy and possibly be entitled to an income tax charitable deduction. Consult your financial or tax advisor to ensure you are maximizing your benefits before completing your gift intention.
- Savings accounts: Designating New York Public Radio as a beneficiary of a savings account is another simple way of creating a legacy and allows full use of savings during your life.
Have questions? Contact the Office of Legacy Giving at (646) 829-4587, via email or using our confidential contact form.
