The Ideal Time to Update Your Estate Plan...

October 09, 2024 • Rev. David Heetland

Did you know that October 21-27 is National Estate Planning Awareness Week?  It is an ideal time to create or update your estate plan.  If you want to ensure that St. Luke’s continues to help people find and give hope through Jesus Christ for generations to come, there are many ways to make an estate gift to the church, including the following:


A bequest in your will.  You can include the church in your will in several ways:

  • A specific amount of money or a specific piece of property.
  • A percentage of your estate.
  • The residue, or whatever is left in your estate after specific bequests have been fulfilled.

A beneficiary designation.  You can name St. Luke’s as the beneficiary of a qualified retirement plan, such as an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b).  Simply update the beneficiary designation form and name the church as a beneficiary.

Life insurance.  You can also name St. Luke’s as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, either as the sole beneficiary, a co-beneficiary, or a secondary beneficiary.

Transfer On Death (TOD) arrangement.  Just as you can name the church as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or a life insurance policy, you can also name the church as a beneficiary of a brokerage account.  A TOD arrangement enables you to pass securities directly to St. Luke’s upon your death, bypassing probate.

Payable On Death (POD) arrangement.  In this arrangement you instruct your bank to pay St. Luke’s some or all of what remains in a bank account when you pass away.  Once again, the assets pass directly to the church without going through probate.

Real estate.  You can make gifts of real estate, such as a home or farm, though a will or trust arrangement.  Attorneys or others knowledgeable in gifts of real estate can help determine the best option for making gifts of real estate.

Trusts.  Numerous trust variations exist and an attorney specializing in trusts should be consulted if a trust arrangement appears to be an attractive planned gift option for you.


If you have questions or would like more information on any of these estate gift options, contact David Heetland, Pastor of Planned Giving, at 317.399.6202 or David.Heetland@gmail.com.    

Rev. David Heetland