Planned Giving

03/01/2010

A Gift That Gives Back

Did you realize that you can increase your income through a creative giving tool called a Charitable Gift Annuity?

A Charitable Gift Annuity pays you an income for life (or the lives of you and your spouse). The rate of return is based on your age at the time of your gift.  (See sample rates to the left)

* Rates are determined by the American Council on Gift Annuities (effective through July 1, 2010)

You receive a charitable deduction for a portion of the gift when you make the gift. Additionally, a portion of the income comes back to you tax-free. After your lifetime, the remainder of the gift goes to Grace Bible College (or any other charities you select).

A Charitable Gift Annuity offers several benefits, including:

  • Increased Income
  • Tax Deduction
  • Annual Payments (partially tax-free)
  • Increased Kingdom Impact
  • Legacy for Future Generations

For more information, ask for a FREE copy of “Questions & Answers about the Gift that Gives Back” by contacting Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Steve Hilbrands.

This sample illustration is for illustration purposes only. Please consult your own advisors or West Michigan Christian Foundation.

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02/01/2010

What Does the Bible Say About Planning for the Future?

C.S Lewis once said, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” When it comes to our finances, the Bible has much to say to help us “aim at heaven”:

Seek and heed wise financial counsel.
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22). Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise (Proverbs 19:20).

Trust in God brings peace.
A righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor (Psalm 112:6-9).

Face trials with an eternal perspective.
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face. (Psalm 11:3-7)

Practice generosity and interdependence in the Christian community.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

Look forward to the return of Christ.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (2 Peter 3:10-12)

For more information, ask for a FREE copy of “Remembering the Lord with Appreciated Stock” by contacting Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Steve Hilbrands.

This sample illustration is for illustration purposes only. Please consult your own advisors or West Michigan Christian Foundation.

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02/01/2010

Planning Your Financial Future God’s Way

You may have heard someone say, “That person is so heavenly minded, they’re no earthly good.” The Bible teaches that the opposite is true: that we’re no earthly good unless we’re heavenly minded. Notice what the Bible has to say to help us be “heavenly minded” when it comes to planning our financial future:

Expect change.
The old saying – “time flies” – has some good theology behind it. In James chapter 4 our lives are
compared to a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. And yet it’s so easy to live, think, and talk as though this life will go on indefinitely. But the Bible cautions us that we do not even know what will happen tomorrow. This is not a cause for fear, but rather helps us see that our lives and our future plans are in God’s hands, and that we can confidently surrender our changing circumstances to Him.

Embrace Suffering.
If we have sufficient resources, we can avoid a lot of pain and discomfort in life with things like
medication, air conditioning, and comfortable homes. And so it may seem foreign to our North
American ears that suffering is a normal, expected part of our life with Christ, and even a cause to
rejoice! (1 Peter 4:12) But this biblical principle helps us see that the goal of financial planning is not to try to completely eliminate all pain and suffering (and so diminish our life with Christ), but rather to position ourselves in the center of God’s will so that we can glorify God in times of trial and blessing.

Give freely.
Do you like having a say in decisions that impact you? Most of us do, and yet we had no say in the decisions that have most impacted our lives – who our parents are, where we were born, the time period we live in, what abilities we have, etc. This “package” of who we are is a wonderful example of God’s grace in our lives. And because God has so freely given to us, He wants us to respond by freely giving to
others (Matthew 10:8). In fact, the book of James teaches that our faith is useless and even dead if it is not expressed in generous giving to those in need. That means that planning for our financial future, from God’s perspective, begins with being intentional about growing in our faith by growing in our giving.

Look forward.
As believers, we understand that the busyness of life will come to a screeching halt when the Lord returns: “The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare,” according to 2 Peter 3. That may sound like something out of an Oscar-winning movie, but it describes a future reality that has major implications for how we live now. The Bible instructs us to prepare for the “day of God” by living holy lives. That means that our future financial planning should be set apart from the values of the world, honoring the Lord with everything we are and everything we have during and after our lifetimes, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.

For more information, ask for a FREE copy of “Remembering the Lord with Appreciated Stock” by contacting Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Steve Hilbrands.

This sample illustration is for illustration purposes only. Please consult your own advisors or West Michigan Christian Foundation.

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12/01/2009

Leveraging Your Support of Grace Bible College

If a friend told you they could show you how to save up to 15% on your gifts to Grace Bible College, would you believe them? Would you be interested?

Many kingdom-minded people like you have been enjoying this blessing for many years with gifts of appreciated securities such as stocks, mutual funds, and bonds.

By transferring the ownership of their appreciated securities before the sale, they are able to enjoy an income tax deduction for the current market value, and avoid the capital gain tax they would owe if the stock were sold before it was given.

This exciting gift option is an excellent way to leverage your support of Grace Bible College and other ministries. If you own stocks or mutual funds that have increased in value (and have held them for more than one year), you may want to consider doing what so many others have done, and use those assets, rather than cash, to fund your giving.

For more information, ask for a FREE copy of “Remembering the Lord with Appreciated Stock” by contacting Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Steve Hilbrands.

This sample illustration is for illustration purposes only. Please consult your own advisors or West Michigan Christian Foundation.

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11/02/2009

Special Year-End Giving Option for Seniors

Thanks to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, you can take advantage of a special tax-saving opportunity to make gifts directly from your IRA to kingdom causes such as Grace Bible College - now through December 31, 2009.

If you are at least 70 ½ years old when the gift is transferred, you can make a distribution directly to Grace BibleCollege without increasing your taxable income or withholding. And more good news – funds transferred from your IRA to Grace Bible College do not result in higher taxes on your Social Security income.

Here’s an example to show you how this works: Suppose Bill has $500,000 in an IRA. Bill contacts the trustee of the IRA and requests that $15,000 be transferred to Grace Bible College. He will not pay tax on the $15,000 distributed toGrace Bible College. Bill is excited to honor God and bless Grace Bible College in this way!

Is the Lord leading you to bless Grace Bible College in this way? As you pray about it, consider if any of the following are true for you:

  • Instead of itemizing deductions, you use the standard deduction.
  • Grace Bible College is named as beneficiary of your IRA in your Estate Plan.
  • Given your income level, you may lose some of your itemized deductions.

For more information, ask for a FREE copy of “Year-End Tax Savings for Ministry-Minded Seniors” by contacting Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Steve Hilbrands.

This sample illustration is for illustration purposes only. Please consult your own advisors or West Michigan Christian Foundation.

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