Make us a beneficiary of your IRA or other “non-probate” assets

McCarter is an independent 501c3 organization located on the Princeton campus. Princeton University owns and operates our building. The Roger S. Berlind Theatre is a shared space that hosts McCarter’s professional productions, McCarter-University co-presented events and student productions. Princeton’s Triangle club performs on McCarter’s Matthews Theatre stage several times throughout the year. McCarter and Princeton have a history of unique partnerships and creative cross-campus collaborations that bring Arts & Ideas into conversation and serve as a bridge to the community.

A non-probate asset is an account or other asset that won’t be governed by the decisions you make in a will. Instead, these accounts commonly have an assigned beneficiary that you choose. Types of non-probate assets include many retirement accounts, life insurance, some bank accounts and some assets (like a house or vehicle) that you jointly own with another person.

The most commonly gifted non-probate asset is an IRA or 401(k). This is because these accounts are always taxed (even for people below the estate tax threshold). Giving these accounts to charity keeps your heirs from having to pay unexpected taxes.

Yes! Even if you have a will in place you still need to designate beneficiaries for your non-probate assets.

Yes! Gifts of any size are deeply appreciated. Many people choose to leave a percentage of their estate, which scales up or down with your estate size.

No. You can usually make these easily and at no cost to you. 

Yes. You are always free to revise or update your estate plans.