Beneficiary Designations

Designate Cascade PBS as a full or partial beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), retirement account, investment account, DAF, bank account, commercial annuity, life insurance policy, or other assets through the company holding your assets.

Simply contact your retirement plan administrator, life insurance company, bank or investment broker and ask them to send you the appropriate "beneficiary designation" or "payable on death" form. To complete your bequest, you will need to complete and sign the form and then send it back to the person who originally sent the form to you.

Gifts of Retirement Assets

Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a gift to Cascade PBS.

If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission.

Benefits of gifts of retirement assets

  • Avoid potential estate tax on retirement assets
  • Your heirs would avoid income tax on any retirement assets funded on a pre-tax basis
  • Receive potential estate tax savings from an estate tax deduction

More on gifts of retirement assets

Did you know that 60%-70% of your retirement assets may be taxed if you leave them to your heirs at your death? Another option is to leave your heirs assets that receive a step up in basis, such as real estate and stock, and give the retirement assets to Cascade PBS. As a charity, we are not taxed upon receiving an IRA or other retirement plan assets.

Because of the way taxes are applied to retirement plan assets, by naming Cascade PBS as a full or partial beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified retirement plan, you might be able to eliminate both income and estate taxes.

Gifts of Insurance

A gift of your life insurance policy is an excellent way to make a gift to Cascade PBS. If you have a life insurance policy that has outlasted its original purpose, consider making a gift of your insurance policy to Cascade PBS. For example, you may have purchased a policy to provide for minor children and they are now financially independent adults.
You can designate Cascade PBS as a partial, full or contingent beneficiary of your life insurance policy. You will continue to own and can make use of the policy during your lifetime. Your estate may benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction.

Your deduction for the gift of life insurance will depend on whether the policy has increased in value above the premiums and whether the policy is paid up or there are remaining payments to be made.

Benefits of gifts of life insurance

  • Receive a charitable income tax deduction
  • If Cascade PBS retains the policy to maturity, you can receive additional tax deductions by making annual gifts so that we can pay the premiums
  • If Cascade PBS cashes in the policy, you will be able to see firsthand how your gift supports our charitable work
  • If we retain the policy to maturity, or you name us as a beneficiary, once the policy matures, the proceeds of your policy will be paid to our organization so that we can use the proceeds to further our charitable work

Contact us

If you have any questions about naming Cascade PBS as a beneficiary, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you.

If you have been so generous as to include a bequest to Cascade PBS as part of your estate plan, please take the time to let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your generosity.

Cascade Public Media (“CPM”) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Federal Tax ID: 91-1221895. Cascade Public Media, which includes Cascade PBS (KCTS 9/Crosscut), is currently registered with the WA Secretary of State’s office under the Charitable Solicitation Act at chapter 19.09 RCW – call 1-800-332-4483. Additional financial and other information may be obtained by contacting CPM at 1-800-937-5287 or the Secretary’s office by visiting sos.wa.gov/charities. 

This site is informational and educational in nature. It does not offer professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.