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Remembering Seth Arden Bardwell '01

Miss Fran Light never knew her father. He died when she was an infant, and her mother later married Seth Arden Bardwell '01, "a wonderful, kind and caring person," she says.

Seth and his brother Alvah both graduated from Perkiomen in 1901. Seth had no children, but loved his stepdaughter dearly and, Miss Fran says, "he loved Perkiomen and spoke of it often."

Fran wants Seth's name remembered by the place he loved: Perkiomen School. To this end she has established a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, with Perkiomen School as a beneficiary, and she has included Perkiomen School in her will. During her lifetime the trust will pay her a steady income. Later, the proceeds from both the trust and her bequest will be used to establish and endow the Seth Arden Bardwell '01 Scholarship Fund. The proceeds from this endowment will forever be used to fund Bardwell Scholars at Perkiomen.

How trusts work

When you establish a charitable remainder unitrust, you donate cash or property to fund the trust. You then decide what percentage of fair market value of the trust assets you wish to receive as income. For example, if you donate $100,000 to a unitrust, you may elect to receive 8 percent income, or $8,000 per year.

If you own appreciated assets such as stocks or real estate, you can transfer these assets directly to the trust. In this way you avoid capital gains, get a charitable tax deduction, increase your income, decrease your income tax liability, save estate taxes and probate costs, and you may define how the proceeds will be used by your school, such as scholarship, endowment. Further, your school may "name" a scholarship, fund or facility in your honor or in the name of someone you love.

A Charitable Remainder Unitrust could be the right thing for you, your family and your school.

How does this benefit Miss Fran?

She will —


• Memorialize her stepfather
• Forever help students and Perkiomen School
• Increase her current income from appreciated assets used to establish the trust
• Obtain a generous income tax charitable deduction
• Reduce her income tax liability
• Bypass an onerous penalty capital gains tax
• Save estate taxes and probate costs

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