Gifts That Cost You Nothing Now

Gifts in a will or by beneficiary designation are two easy ways to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease for years to come — and they don’t cost anything now.

If you have already included a gift in your estate plans to benefit the future of American Lung Association, be sure to let us know so that we may best honor your wishes.

A Gift in Your Will is One of the Easiest Ways to Fight Lung Disease

  • No payment now: It 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: Your gift will create your legacy of love for people with lung disease now and for generations to come.

A gift in your will is one of the easiest ways to create your legacy and offers the following benefits:

LASTING IMPACT

Your gift will create your legacy of improving lung health and preventing lung disease.

FLEXIBLE

You can alter your gift or change your mind at any time and for any reason.

NO COST

Costs you nothing now to give in this way.

Four Simple, “No-Cost-Now” Ways to Give in Your Will

General Gift

Leaves a gift of a stated sum of money in your will or living trust. For example, you might decide to leave each of your grandchildren $10,000. It’s considered general because it doesn’t specify from where the money comes.

Residual Gift

Leaves what is left over after all other debts, taxes and other expenses have been paid.

Specific Gift

Leaves a specific dollar amount, percentage, fraction or specific items (collections, art, books, jewelry and so on).

Contingent Gift

Leaves a stated amount or share only if a spouse, family member or other heir/beneficiary does not live longer than you. In other words, your gift is contingent upon whether or not they survive after you.

Example

 

You can mix these no-cost ways together. For example, you might consider leaving a specific percentage (such as 50%) of the residual to the American Lung Association contingent upon the survival of your spouse.

Gifts by Beneficiary Designation, An Easy ‘No-Cost-Now’ Way to Give

​It’s easy to put your bank accounts, retirement funds, savings bonds and more to use in creating a world free of lung disease and it costs nothing now.

By naming the American Lung Association as a beneficiary of these assets, you power the research, education and advocacy that will help save lives now and for future generations. And it will be your legacy of love for the world.

Potential benefits of gifts by beneficiary designation:

Reduce or eliminate taxes on retirement assets;

Reduce or avoid probate fees;

No costs when you give now;

Create your legacy with the American Lung Association.

Types of Gifts by Beneficiary

Bank Accounts, CDs, Brokerage Accounts, and Commercial Annuities

This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing what you want—stopping lung disease. The next time you visit your bank, you can name the American Lung Association (Tax ID: 13-1632524) as the beneficiary of a checking or savings bank account, a certificate of deposit (CD) or a brokerage account. When you do, you’ll take a powerful step toward a world free of lung disease for generations to come.

Retirement Funds Gift

You can simply name the American Lung Association as a beneficiary of your retirement plan to end lung disease and save more lives. Naming the American Lung Association as a beneficiary of your retirement account can be an attractive option for leaving a legacy while reducing income and possibly estate taxes for your loved ones.

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. However, you can avoid these taxes and save lives. Since the American Lung Association is a tax-exempt institution, naming us as a beneficiary means that the full value of your savings will go toward improving lung health and preventing lung disease.

Donor-Advised Fund Residuals

What remains in a donor-advised fund (DAF) is governed by the contract you completed when you created your fund. When you name the American Lung Association as a successor of your account or a portion of your account value, more people will breathe better because of your support.

How to Change a Beneficiary Designation:

Login

Login to your account or request a Change of Beneficiary Form from your custodian (the business holding your money or assets).

Follow the Links

Follow the links to change your beneficiary or fill out the form.

Write Our Organization Name

Be sure to spell the name of our organization properly: American Lung Association

Include Our Tax ID #

Include our tax identification number: 13-1632524

Save or Submit

Save or submit your information online or return your Change of Beneficiary Form.

Complimentary Planning Resources at Your Fingertips