Torch, Summer 2002

M r. and Mrs. William Kayser owned and operated a farm in central Illinois for almost 40 years. Bill and Beryl were active in their local church and routinely supported a number of ministries. They became Cedarville University President’s Associates in the late 1970s and have faithfully supported the annual fund each year since that time. They planned to live out their days on the farm and then use the farm asset to create income for their heirs through a testamentary Cedarville University charitable remainder trust. However, earlier this year, the Kaysers decided to move from the farm into an assisted living facility. In making the move, they wanted to achieve four goals: continue to honor the Lord with their giving by making a significant gift to Cedarville University, provide for the cost of assisted living, create an income supplement for their heirs, and reduce or eliminate estate taxes. If they had sold their farm outright and reinvested the sale proceeds net of capital gains taxes, the annual investment income would not have provided adequate assisted living care for the remainder of their lifetime. Instead, they placed their farm in a Cedarville University charitable remainder trust, removing the asset from their taxable estate. The farm was sold by the trust, exempt from capital gains tax. The gross proceeds were reinvested and now earn more than enough income to pay for assisted living plus anticipated cost increases. The income tax deduction earned by placing the farm into the charitable remainder trust will offset a portion of the taxable trust income for up to six years. When Mr. and Mrs. Kayser have both gone to heaven, a portion of the trust income will be given to their heirs for a period of 20 years. After that, the remaining trust assets will be given to Cedarville University. Mr. Kayser remarked, “The charitable remainder unitrust was the correct answer for all of our needs. It helped us achieve all of our estate planning goals. Cedarville University handled the entire transaction for us. It is my desire that more people would learn about the benefits of a charitable remainder trust and consider making a gift of this type.” For more information about deferred giving plans, please call either Dave Bartlett or Kim Longo at 1-800-766-1115 , e-mail giftplanning@cedarville.edu , or visit our Web site at www.cedarville.edu/services/fpcreateincome . Kaysers Place Farm in a Charitable Trust Summer 2002 / TORCH 7 open or will soon be opening. Some districts are hiring nearly anyone who walks in the school’s door. For young people looking for a role in this world and who want to make a significant difference in people’s lives, I can think of few jobs as challenging and yet as influential to future generations as a teacher. Let’s apply our Christlike compassion in the classrooms of America’s schools. D r. Donald Meissner joined the Cedarville University faculty in 2001 as assistant professor of education. He holds a B.A. from Greenville College, a M.S. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Meissner has enjoyed travels to Greece (where he painted and repaired the Greek Bible Institute) and Ecuador (where he studied the ecology and customs of the region). He and his wife, Nancy, enjoy summer camping trips to Door County, Wisconsin, now that their two daughters have left the nest. T Bill and Beryl Kayser