IRA gift creates educational opportunities

Education has always been important to Tom and Marilyn Fink. Marilyn was a teacher and Tom's volunteerism focuses on creating equitable access to education. As Tom says, "We love helping young people get to where they want to go."

After making provisions for family in their estate plan, Tom and Marilyn knew the best use for their IRA was charitable giving. Tom asked his doctor of 30 years, A. Perry Hendin, MD, about educational opportunities at Legacy Health and learned about the medical residency program. The Finks decided to support residents through a gift to the Visiting Elective Scholarship Program.

Scholarships are awarded to students from underrepresented backgrounds to help cover expenses as they complete their internal medicine residency at Legacy Health. Tom and Marilyn's gift will alleviate financial hurdles and help create a more diverse field of internal medicine physicians.

Donating their IRA was an easy choice for the Finks because it can have tax advantages, is free to set up and is as simple as filling out a form with their IRA administrator. Because Legacy Health is tax-exempt, 100% of their gift will go directly to the scholarship recipients. Had they left their IRA to family, it may be subject to income tax, which could reduce the amount their loved ones received.

If you would like information on adding Legacy Health as a beneficiary of your retirement account, contact Joshua Goldstein, MBA (he/him) at 503-413-3501 or jigoldst@lhs.org.