For people who want to be intentional about their legacy
Beneficiary & Charitable Planning
Whether you want to leave assets to friends, extended family, organizations, or charitable causes, we help you build a plan that reflects what matters to you.
Your Plan Can Reflect Your Values
Estate planning is often framed around leaving everything to your children, but not everyone fits that mold. You may be single, have no children, be estranged from family, or simply want your legacy to go somewhere more meaningful. Beneficiary and charitable planning is the work of deciding who receives what, in what form, and on what terms. It can include specific people, named organizations, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds, structured to meet both your wishes and your tax goals.
There is no requirement to leave everything to your children. Your plan can reflect your values, whether that means friends, organizations, charitable causes, or anyone else who matters to you.
Vehicles We Use
We start with an open conversation about who and what matters to you, then we design the structure that fits your goals. Most plans use one or more of the following.
- Direct beneficiary designations, naming specific people or organizations on retirement accounts and life insurance
- Charitable bequests, gifts to the causes you care about, structured for tax efficiency
- Charitable remainder trust, a trust that pays you income now and benefits a charity later
- Donor-advised fund, a flexible vehicle for ongoing charitable giving across multiple causes
- Trust-coordinated designations, aligning retirement accounts and life insurance with your trust distributions
Why It Matters
Beneficiary designations override what your will or trust says. A retirement account that names an ex-spouse will pay an ex-spouse, full stop. We make sure every designation across every account aligns with the rest of your plan, so the assets you have spent a lifetime building end up exactly where you intend.
Not everyone fits the traditional estate planning mold. Whether you are single, childless, or simply want your legacy to go somewhere meaningful, your plan should reflect your values, not anyone else's expectations.
This Planning Is Built for You If...
Any of these describe your situation.
- People Without Children. Without obvious heirs, your estate could default to distant relatives or even the state. A plan puts you in control.
- Single Individuals. Without a spouse or partner, there is no automatic safety net. You decide who benefits and how.
- Philanthropic-Minded People. If you want part or all of your estate to support a cause you care about, charitable planning makes it tax-efficient and legally enforceable.
- People with Complex Family Situations. Estrangements, blended families, or distant relatives create uncertainty. A clear plan eliminates ambiguity.
Your First Step Starts Here
At our live, free estate planning seminars across Phoenix and Tucson, we walk you through how to protect you and your loved ones from probate. We give you a step-by-step plan that's simple and clear. Sign up today for peace of mind tomorrow.
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From the Blog
- Should Your Trust Be the Beneficiary of Your IRA or 401(k)?
The most consequential beneficiary designation most people make, and how to get it right.
- Estate, Gift & GST Tax in Arizona: The Complete Guide
Tax mechanics that shape almost every charitable planning decision.
- What Happens to Your Family Without an Estate Plan in Arizona
Without a plan, intestacy decides where your assets go, and it rarely matches your intentions.
Glossary
- Charitable Remainder Trust
A trust that pays income to you or your beneficiaries during life and transfers the remainder to charity at the end of the term.
- Beneficiary Designation
The form attached to a retirement account or life insurance policy that names who receives it at death. It overrides what your will or trust says.
- Bequest
A gift of personal property made by will.
- Devise
A gift of real property made by will.
- Residuary Estate
Everything left in the estate after specific bequests, debts, and expenses are paid. Often the basis for charitable remainder gifts.
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
A trust that owns life insurance to keep proceeds outside the taxable estate. Sometimes used in charitable planning.