If you could beqeath to one party outside the family, who would get the $ ?

[Mr._johngalt]

I'll start it off. For me, The NRA. In fact, I may do it.

JG

 

[peggy]

DH and I don't have kids. Nor do we have any other relatives we care to leave money to.

After the surviving spouse dies, all of it goes to Hillsdale College.

 

[Cut-Throat]

Nature Conservancy.

 

[yelnad]

The Niagara County ARC.

 

[Patrick]

Doctors Without Borders. In fact, my trust is already set up so that they get the remainder if none of my beneficiaries are left.

 

[Khan]

My TSP is bequeathed to the local Planned Parenthood.

 

[youbet]

Interesting thought.

Very hypothetical on my part since we have lots of family and some very deserving members with special needs. There's a near zero chance anything will go elsewhere.

But, for the sake of conversation, I'd go with Easter Seals and the Nature Conservancy, 50/50.

 

[My Dream]

Interesting suggestions.

 

[SecondCor521]

When I update my will, it will be roughly:

5% split between my sister's kids
5% split between my undergrad university and my MBA univ, and
90% split between my three kids.

2Cor521

 

[Brat]

Outside the family:

50/50 Oregon, Washington Public Radio for NPR programming.

 

[shiny]

After naming a few specific gifts (fixed $ amounts) to siblings and friends all the rest passes in percentage terms to 15 different charities. I sometimes worry that this is too complicated, but it is hard for me to choose! Some of them are: The Nature Conservency, The National Park Foundation, The Carter Foundation and NPR plus our alma maters and various local food banks and animal shelters.

 

[Martha]

Outside the family:

50/50 Oregon, Washington Public Radio for NPR programming.

I can hear it now, "This program is sponsored by a grant from the Ms. Brat Foundation"

 

[Cool Dood]

Mark Foley asked me to post his answer, which is NAMBLA. I'd quote the rest of his PM, but some of it was unsuitable for the public forum.....

 

[brewer12345]

Probably my alma mater, a parochial high school founded by a very wealthy woman who agreed to bankroll the whole thing on one condition: that she never be pblicly acknowledged. Her legacy lives on, but the school is funded by alums and a smallish endowment. If I were a billionaire, I'd happily set them up with an endowment large enough to fund them forever. As it is, they will have to live with my modest donations until I and my spouse croak.

 

[justin]

Nobody has claimed the public library yet, so I will. Maybe 50/50 with my alma mater's college of engineering or civil engineering dept. Maybe a little to the spanish department.

 

[shiny]

Nobody has claimed the public library yet, so I will.

That's a great one justin!

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Doctors Without Borders. In fact, my trust is already set up so that they get the remainder if none of my beneficiaries are left.

Yeah, that's a good one.

JG

 

[Lazarus]

Boy Scouts

 

[My Dream]

I don't think my joke went over to well so I'm just going to delete it.

 

[ADJ]

Doctors Without Borders. In fact, my trust is already set up so that they get the remainder if none of my beneficiaries are left.

I am a huge fan of Doctors without Borders. They are already in my will. In my opinion, it's the best charitable organization bar none. I don't know how much Americans know about the sacrifices young doctors, nurses and other people make to bring medical help to suffering people around the world but they along with UNICEF should be on everyone's charitable contributions list.

 

[audreyh1]

The Nature Conservancy.

Audrey

 

[Poundkey]

http://www.nature.org/

 

[wabmester]

Hmm, I'd probably create a self-sustaining trust that funded scholarships. Even a small $100K trust should be able to payout an inflation-adjusted $4000/year for eternity. Why blow it all at once?

If I reduced the payout to 2%/year, then the trust should grow ad infinitum, right? Eventually, it would become the largest trust on the planet.

Wow. How would I direct the trustees to spend the funds once the trust grew to HUGE proportions? Universal health care? Nah. Beers on me! For the entire planet!

Cheers!

 

[HFWR]

NORML...

 

[FinanceDude]

(removed by request from FinanceDude)