A New Year’s Resolution: Protecting Your Legacy

By Noell Barnidge
Christmas gifts have been opened and a new year is upon us, but there is one more gift that you can give – to protect your family and your legacy – and that gift is making a will for your family.
 
Did you know that 70 percent of Americans do not have a will? As you begin your list of new year’s resolutions, start by creating your FREE will today compliments of Benedictine. During the month of January, BC has partnered with GiftWise to provide you access to a FREE online platform where you can quickly create a legally-binding will. Through GiftWise, you can create a will in 15 minutes, declare your Healthcare Power of Attorney and Finance Power of Attorney, and leave a legacy to your family and organizations you love. Remembering Benedictine in your will also may lessen the tax burden on your family and estate.
 
Remembering Benedictine Military School in your estate plans is a great way to leave a legacy and it will not cost you anything during your lifetime. A legacy gift is a planned future gift that designates some part of an individual’s estate as a donation to a nonprofit. Legacy gifts enable philanthropic individuals to make larger gifts to charitable organizations than they could make from ordinary income.
 
Benedictine Military School Principal Mr. Jacob Horne and his wife, Brittani, recently became members of the 1902 Heritage Society, which recognizes those who have made a commitment to Benedictine through a planned gift, through bequests (gifts by will), life insurance policies and life income gifts (annuities and trusts).
 
“My wife and I have left Benedictine Military School in our will because we believe the world is a better place with more Benedictine men walking around,” Principal Horne said. “We have watched this school execute its mission firsthand for over a decade, and we want to give back to Benedictine so that it is around for future generations of young men. Benedictine's programs far exceed any traditional high school program. There is no other place that teaches the lessons our young men receive in the classrooms and on the athletic fields.”
 
The Horne family is among 57 families who are founding members of the 1902 Heritage Society, whose membership has more than doubled over the last five years. The first 100 members will be recognized as the founding members of the 1902 Heritage Society. To become a member of the 1902 Heritage Society, simply inform the Advancement Office in writing that you have named Benedictine Military School as a beneficiary in your financial or estate plans. If you have named Benedictine Military School in your estate plans, please notify Director of Advancement Mr. Greg Markiton ’92 at (912) 644-7016 or greg.markiton@bcsav.net.
 
“The Benedictine that we all know and love today rests on the foundation of the thousands of alumni who have walked the halls on Bull Street and Seawright Drive and our greater Benedictine community, who have given their time, talent, and treasure to ensure the school is around for future generations,” Principal Horne said. “This school is exceptional. It has been an unsung bedrock of Savannah for well over a century, and it is our responsibility to ensure that it is around for the next 100 years.”
 
For more information, please visit https://www.thebc400.com/support-bc/planned-giving.
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