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Estate Gifts: Planning Your Legacy

An estate gift, sometimes referred to as a planned gift or deferred gift, is a term used to describe a deliberate decision to direct your resources - money, property and/or other assets - away from taxes and to a charitable institution of your choice. 

Some types of planned gift vehicles may even provide you and your loved ones with additional income during your lifetime.  By including the Stony Brook Foundation in your retirement and estate planning, you can reduce your tax burden while supporting students, faculty, programs, and facilities at Stony Brook University. 

We encourage you to learn more about ways to give (i.e., types of vehicles) as well as assets you can use (i.e., assets used to fund estate gifts) by visiting the Gift Planning section of this web site.. 

For your convenience, we have also provided sample language for your will or trust. When an individual notifies us of intent to include the Foundation in his/her estate plans, and provides us with written documentation, the donor is recognized as a member of the distinguished John S. Toll Heritage Society.

Bequests
A bequest is a gift of an amount or property made to the Stony Brook Foundation in a donor's will. The following is recommended language that may be used to make a gift to the Stony Brook Foundation through your will:

"I give, devise and bequeath to the Stony Brook Foundation, Inc., Stony Brook, NY 11790, (percentage of residue, sum, or description of property), the principal and income of which shall be used for (you may describe a specific purpose for the use of your bequest)."

Bequests may be made in the following ways:

  • Specific Bequest. Stipulates an amount, a percentage, or particular securities or other assets.
  • Residuary Bequest. States that all or a portion of your estate be given after specific amounts are distributed to other beneficiaries.
  • Contingent Bequest. Directs that your assets be distributed if your primary heirs do not survive you.

For additional information about Estate Gifts, please contact:

Alexandra P. Brovey, JD, LLM
Senior Director, Gift Planning
Office of Advancement
631-632-4371