Gifts That Cost You Nothing Now
Gifts in a will or by beneficiary designation are two easy ways to change cancer patients’ lives for years to come — and they don’t cost anything now.
Gifts in a Will
Making a legacy gift in your will or trust is one of the easiest and most popular ways to make a lasting impact for MD Anderson. By simply signing your name, you can create a legacy of eliminating cancer for future generations.
Once you have provided for your loved ones, we hope you will consider making innovative cancer care part of your life story through a legacy gift.
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A gift in your will is one of the easiest ways to create your legacy and offers the following benefits:
NO COST
Costs you nothing now to give in this way.
FLEXIBLE
You can alter your gift or change your mind at any time and for any reason.
LASTING IMPACT
You create your legacy and join us in Making Cancer History®.
Four simple, “no-cost-now” ways to give in your will
General gift
Leaves a gift of a stated sum of money to MD Anderson Cancer Center in your will or living trust.
Residual gift
Specific gift
Leaves a specific dollar amount, percentage or fraction of your estate, or specific items (collections, art, books, jewelry, etc.).
Contingent gift
Leaves a stated amount or share only if a spouse, family member or other heir/beneficiary does not outlive you. In other words, your gift is contingent upon whether or not they survive after your lifetime.
You can mix these no-cost-now ways of giving. For example, you might consider leaving a specific percentage (such as 50%) of the residual to MD Anderson contingent upon the survival of your spouse.
Gifts by Beneficiary Designation
It’s easy to put your bank accounts, life insurance policy, retirement funds, savings bonds and more to use in accelerating lifesaving research and patient care — and it costs you nothing now.
By naming MD Anderson as a beneficiary of these assets, you can power our mission for years to come and establish your personal legacy of reducing the devastating effects of cancer to save more lives.
Potential benefits of gifts by beneficiary designation:
- Reduce or eliminate taxes
- Reduce or avoid probate fees
- No cost to you now to give
- Create your legacy with MD Anderson
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To name MD Anderson Cancer Center as a beneficiary of an asset, contact the custodian of that asset to see whether a change of beneficiary form must be completed.
How to Change a Beneficiary Designation
- Login to your account or request a Change of Beneficiary Form from your custodian (the business holding your money or assets).
- Follow the links to change your beneficiary or fill out the form.
- Be sure to spell the name of our organization properly: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Include the UT System EIN: 30-7010-145
- Save or submit your information online or return your Change of Beneficiary Form.
Types of Gifts
A gift of retirement funds
You can simply name MD Anderson as a beneficiary of your retirement plan to help MD Anderson continue to discover new and improved treatment strategies for patients here and worldwide through our shared innovation.
A gift of funds remaining in your bank accounts, brokerage accounts or certificate of deposit (CD)
Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) residuals
What remains in a donor-advised fund after your lifetime is governed by the contract you completed when you created your fund. When you name MD Anderson as a “successor” of your account, you enable innovative cancer research and leading-edge cancer care to continue for generations to come.
Savings bonds
If you have bonds that have stopped earning interest and you plan to redeem them, you might owe income tax on the appreciation. That could result in your heirs receiving only a fraction of the value of the bonds in which you invested. Since MD Anderson is a tax-exempt institution, naming us as a beneficiary means that 100% of your gift will go toward patient programs, cancer research, prevention and education.
