HoustonPBS Legacy Circle

Lead the Journey. Inspire Discovery. Shape the Future.

Make a Legacy Gift to Channel 8

Determining your estate plans today can have many benefits, especially the peace of mind from knowing that your interests and wishes are recorded and will become a reality. We invite you to include HoustonPBS in your estate plans. Become part of those who have provided for the future of HoustonPBS by making a legacy gift today. You will have satisfaction that others in the future will benefit from your generosity. Legacy gifts vary widely in size, form and purpose but each in its way adds strength to HoustonPBS. Please check with your professional advisor for the best plan for you.

Forms of bequests

Specific Bequest – designate a specific dollar amount or certain property, like real estate or artwork.

Percentage Bequest – designate a set percentage of an estate to be distributed to HoustonPBS. Other Ways to Give

Charitable Remainder Trusts

As an alternative to an outright bequest, you may wish to consider establishing a charitable remainder trust during your lifetime or through your estate plan. These arrangements have special tax advantages and can provide income for you or other beneficiaries. A charitable remainder trust names one or more beneficiaries for life or for a term of years, after which time the assets go to HoustonPBS.

Charitable Gift Annuities

With a gift annuity, you simultaneously make a charitable gift to HoustonPBS and provide guaranteed payments for life to one or two persons. If you are single, the payments will continue for the duration of your life. If you are married, you may choose a joint-and-survivor annuity that continues as long as either spouse lives. It is also possible to provide a lifetime annuity for someone other than yourself and your spouse.

Charitable Lead Trusts

A charitable lead trust provides HoustonPBS with a steady income for a term of years of the life of an individual. The charitable lead trust is essentially the opposite of a charitable remainder trust. When the trust terminates, the appreciated principal goes to your family, usually with substantially reduced gift and estate tax cost.

Gifts of Life Insurance

Life insurance can offer an attractive way to leverage low premium payments to make a major gift to HoustonPBS. If you name Channel 8 as the irrevocable beneficiary and owner of your policy, you obtain an immediate charitable tax deduction.

Gifts of Cash

Making a donation of cash is as simple as writing a check or authorizing a charge on your credit card. From your standpoint, it's no fuss, no bother.

Stock that has increased in value is one of the most popular assets used for charitable giving, once it has been held for a minimum of a year. Making a gift of securities to the station offers you the chance to help Channel 8 while realizing many important benefits for yourself.

Gifts of Closely Held Stock

A donation of your closely held stock can be a fine way for you to make a sizable charitable contribution while realizing valuable tax benefits.

Gifts of Retirement Plan Assets

If you're like many Americans, your financial future will likely revolve around your retirement plan assets. To maximize the value of a retirement account, consider making a lifetime gift of its after-tax values to a tax-exempt deferred giving plan.

2011 IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts
MAKING A GIFT FROM AN IRA TO
HOUSTONPBS

THE LAW
President Obama signed legislation on December 17, 2010, that allows individuals aged 70 ½ or older to make outright (immediate) gifts of up to $100,000 to qualified charitable organizations through direct transfers from their IRAs without paying income tax on the IRA distributions. You can make contributions for 2011 anytime through Dec. 31, 2011. If you are able to take advantage of this opportunity, you can improve your overall tax situation while helping us continue to meet our goals and achieve our vision for the future.

Note: The legislation does not permit direct transfers to charitable trusts, donor advised funds, charitable gift annuities, or supporting organizations. In addition, this opportunity applies only to IRAs and not other types of retirement plans. Owners of ineligible plans, such as 401(k)s and Keoghs, however, may have the option to roll over amounts into an IRA and then make an eligible gift from that account.

Specifically:

• Owner must be 70 ½ years of age on the date of your gift.
• May gift up to $100,000 through December 31, 2011. This pertains to each person, meaning that if both spouses have IRA plans, each may make gifts up to that limit.
• Must transfer directly from an IRA.
• Must transfer the gift outright to one or more qualified charities.

If you do not qualify to take advantage of this new legal provision, but would like to discuss other ways of meeting your philanthropic goals using a retirement account, please contact the stations at:

HoustonPBS, Linda Flores Olson, 713-743-8490,

BENEFITS

1. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you can benefit even if you do not itemize your tax deductions.
2. The transfer may count against your unsatisfied required minimum distributions.
3. You may transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA, which allows you to make a significant gift and gives you the flexibility to create an improved tax situation.

STEPS FOR MAKING A GIFT
The process for making a gift using your IRA is straightforward - but it is important to exercise care to assure that your transaction is completed correctly. It is especially important to avoid having the funds distributed to you personally, as this could trigger an income tax.

Important note: Check with your IRA administrator to confirm they have established procedures and to check if there is a minimum amount for this type of gift. It is also important to check with your IRA administrator to ensure they are prepared for your request.

To make a gift from your IRA:

1. Contact your IRA administrator to ensure the company is prepared to handle your request.
2. Send your IRA administration company a letter (see sample below) requesting the distribution.
3. Send HoustonPBS and/or KUHF a copy of your letter so we can expect the distribution check and deposit it as you have requested. Also, we want to acknowledge you properly. Please send the copy to:
• Association for Community Broadcasting
  Attn: Ms. Ivana Sidlo
  4343 Elgin
  Houston, Texas 77204-0008
4. A confirmation will come from the station(s) when we receive your distribution.

For a sample letter to send to your IRA Administrator, click here.

STOCK TRANSFER FROM YOUR IRA

If the advisor plans to make the distribution with shares of stock out of a mutual fund, please have him/her contact Rick Figueroa for specific transfer instructions.

Contact:

UBS Financial Services Inc.

Attention: Rick Figueroa

5065 Westheimer Rd, Suite 1000

Houston, TX 77056

Office: (713) 985-3463

Email:  leslie.allen@ubs.com

If you have any questions or need more information about the stated steps, please contact:

HoustonPBS, Linda Flores Olson, 713-743-8490, lfolson@houstonpbs.org
We are always happy to work with you to ensure that your gift reflects your passions and priorities at the station. Thank you for the bighearted consideration.

Recording Bequests

It is important that you share your desires with HoustonPBS. We want to welcome you into the Legacy Circle (a group of special donors who have selected to include HoustonPBS in their estate plans), invite you to special events and keep you abreast of any changes at the station while helping us with our long-term planning.

For your convenience, below is sample language that we encourage you to use. I give and bequeath (the sum of $____ or a specific asset) or (a percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my residuary estate) to the Association for Community Broadcasting, in support of HoustonPBS, 4343 Elgin, Houston, TX 77204-0008, for its general purpose. Tax ID number 74-16770740.

Mailing Address: Linda Flores Olson, Director of Development, HoustonPBS, 4343 Elgin, Houston, Texas 77204-0008.

Please feel free to contact Linda at lfolson@houstonpbs.org or 713-743-8492 if you have any questions or to notify us of your estate plans. Thanks for your consideration.

lfolson@houstonpbs.org
Houston Public Media, Deborah Grotfeldt, 713-743-8443,dgrotfeldt@kuhf.org