Estate Planning
There are many testimonies
shared by Christians whose lives have been change as a
result of FBN’s faithful Bible-based broadcasts through
the years. If you have ever have been blessed by our
radio ministry as you were driving in your car or
listening at your home or work, then consider this fact
-- those blessings were the result of someone who cared
enough to donate to this radio ministry to ensure that
this ministry in music reached you. You can return that
blessing and provide ministry to others by simply naming
FBN in your will. It is as simple as stating in your
will that you wish to leave a percentage of your estate
to the Fundamental Broadcasting Network in order to
reach others for Christ.
Christ-centered estate
planning can also be a blessing to you and your family.
It can be a help when people are nearing the end of
their lives and need to get their affairs in order, or
when they are in their fifties and approaching
retirement or when they are younger and busy raising
children.
It is vital for everyone to do basic estate planning.
Decisions about who will be the executor of their
estate, who will be the guardian of younger children,
how far they want the medical establishment to go in
keeping them alive, who will receive sentimental or
treasured possessions, what amount of resources are to
be given to loved ones and how they want to honor the
Lord by remembering their church and Christian
ministries in their estate plans is all prayerfully
resolved in Christian-based estate planning.
Without a will or estate plan, people's families and the
work of God will suffer undue hardship, frustration, and
loss. Through wise estate planning, significant dollars
are normally diverted from taxes, probate, and legal
costs and redirected to the Lord's work. (without
decreasing the amount of inheritance family members will
receive!)
FBN will help you with any questions that you may have
about how you can include FBN in your Christian estate
plan. FBN recommends that you work with an attorney in
drafting your plan. An attorney can be recommended to
you.
Information that you
will want to consider is the following:
1) An Executor for your estate: Whom do you wish
to manage the affairs of your estate? The person you
choose should be someone trustworthy, without a felony
record and over the age of 18. The most common choice
by most people is your surviving spouse. You should
consider an alternate person should your first choice be
unable or unwilling to manage your estate affairs.
2) A Guardian for your minor children: It is
crucial to name a guardian to care for your children if
you still have minor children (children under the age
of 18). It is a good idea to name an alternate choice,
should the person of first choice be unable or unwilling
to act as a guardian for your children.
3) A Property Trustee for your children: It is a
good idea to name a property trustee to guard the assets
of your estate for the benefit of your minor children.
Once again, it is a good idea to name an alternate
property trustee here as well.
4) Property distribution: It is important that you
make provision in your will for the distribution of your
entire estate. An effective way to ensure that your
entire estate is distributed properly is to divide your
estate into percentage shares. For example, “To my
brother, I leave 50% of my estate.”
You can also make specific testamentary bequests as
well. If you have a special stamp, gun or precious
metal collection, you should spell that bequest out in
the will. It is not enough to just tell the person
while you are alive that you want them to have a
particular item when you pass; it will only be
enforceable in probate if it is mentioned in your will.
Making these items clear in your will makes it easier on
your family to know what your true wishes are. Making
your wishes clear can save a lot of heartache, confusion
and probate expense at the time of your passing.
Remember FBN:
It is in the property distribution paragraph in your
will where you can leave your greatest legacy for the
cause of Christ. Provided that you have made provisions
for your minor children, you can either leave a
percentage of your estate to FBN or make a specific
bequest to FBN. FBN considers all such gifts a sacred
trust where the FBN radio ministry will carry out your
wishes of reaching a lost world for Jesus Christ. We
thank you for your support of the FBN ministry, and we
count you as a friend united in helping the lost find
our Saviour.
