Connective Issues - Summer 2020

A PROMISE TO MOM Lewis A. Merrill, Jr. was a quiet man. Never married, he lived in the same California home for 35 years. A retired engineer, an avid golfer, and a talented piano player, he was a man of few words, but a man whose word was his bond. As a younger man he made a promise to his mother that he would help those affected by Marfan syndrome. Lewis kept that promise when, upon his death in January, at the age of 91, he left a $25,000 bequest in his mother, Cecelia Ruth Merrill’s, honor to The Marfan Foundation. The gift will be used to support the work of the Foundations's Help & Resource Center and is a fitting tribute to a woman who raised such an honorable son. You can provide support for The Marfan Foundation through your estate plan. Please contact Megan Martin (MMartin@marfan.org), or visit MarfanLegacy.org for more information.

Did you know people who plan ahead typically leave more for family after they are gone? When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. People who plan have identified their goals. They have established priorities. In doing so, they give themselves something to strive for and they make decisions with their plan in mind. With recent changes to the tax code, this is the perfect time to put your plan together or to update your plan. FAMILY FIRST Does your plan match your priorities ?

Create a charitable legacy supporting the causes important to you while freeing assets for family.

With proper planning capital gains taxes can be reduced or eliminated.

The estate tax may be reduced or eliminated.

11

Summer 2020