Gift Planning Connections

Six Smart Tax Moves for Year-End Savings

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Cupped hands holding a small slip of paper that says "Make a Change" and a handful of coins. As the year winds down, so do our wallets – between holidays, travel, and other year-end expenses, it’s a costly time for many. Here are some simple strategies that can help you save on taxes and get yourself set up for financial success in the new year:

  1. Review Your IRA: If you’re 73 or older, you may need to take a Required Minimum Distribution. Stick to the required amount to avoid unnecessary taxes.
  2. Give to Charity: Donations to qualified nonprofits can lower your taxable income while supporting causes that matter to you.
  3. Rebalance Your Investments: Offset capital gains by selling underperforming stocks at a loss and review your overall portfolio.
  4. Make Early Payments: If you have deductible expenses such as medical bills or property taxes, pay them before year-end to take advantage of this year’s deductions.
  5. Defer Income: If you’re expecting a year-end bonus or freelance income, delay it until the new year to reduce your 2025 tax bill.
  6. Pay Your Mortgage Early: If you own a home, make your January mortgage payment in December to increase this year’s deductible interest.

These tips are a great starting point for year-end financial wellness. Want to make a meaningful impact while continuing to save? Consider a gift to support the University of Mary Washington before Dec. 31, 2025. It’s a wonderful way to close out the year while creating future opportunities for UMW students.

Please note: Mary Washington will have limited business hours and mail delivery Dec. 22-31, so all gifts sent by mail must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2025, for charitable deduction eligibility. To give by credit card, visit umw.edu/gift and select GIVE NOW by Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. If making a gift via IRA distribution or securities, please contact Jeremy Vaughn at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

This story originally ran in the fall 2025 Gift Planning Connections Newsletter.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025

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In this issue:

Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025Meet Alex Bindon ’25, a chemistry major who has been able to apply his passion for analytical chemistry in the real world thanks to private support.

Discover how Christy Copper ’91 established endowments through her estate to support chemistry faculty and women’s tennis at her alma mater.

Learn how an easy-to-use will-planning tool can give your loved ones peace of mind.

Read a special message from President Troy Paino.

See how Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Van Sant used his own life insurance policy to help fund a scholarship in his name after his passing.

Read each story in the spring edition of Gift Planning Connections by selecting the links above or click here to view a PDF version.

For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

– Gift Planning Connections newsletter written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

Philosophical Philanthropy

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George Van Sant. Photo courtesy of University Archives Centennial Collection.
George Van Sant. Photo courtesy of University Archives Centennial Collection.

After serving his country as a Marine Corps officer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy George Van Sant was a dedicated faculty member at Mary Washington for over three decades, earning the Grellet C. Simpson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1986.

When he passed away in 2013, Professor Van Sant’s own life insurance policy helped fund the Dr. George Van Sant Scholarship, established by friends, colleagues, and former students, led by Marsha Lynn Wilkins ’62, who also set up an endowment for the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion in honor of her late professor.

Martina Nicholson '25
Martina Nicholson ’25

“Receiving this scholarship alleviates the financial burden and allows me to concentrate fully on my education,” said Martina Nicholson ’25, a philosophy: pre-law and communication and digital studies major. “Being given the opportunity to learn about the evolution of human thought and progress has further fueled my passion for law and journalism.”

Martina Nicholson has also been the recipient of the Marjorie Jean Frost ’44 and Sylvia McJilton Woodcock ’61 scholarships and the Penelope Ann Parrish Internship in Journalism. She was also named the 2025 recipient of the Grace Mann Launch Award at the annual Eagle Awards ceremony. 

Visit umwheritage.org to learn more about establishing scholarships. For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025

Planning for Peace of Mind

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Now is the perfect time to update your will

Unsplash image - hands on a Mac laptop keyboard. As you focus on spring cleaning tasks this season, consider making time for perhaps the most important organization project of all: preparing or updating your last will and testament. Approximately 65% of Americans currently do not have a will, and many pass away every day without having created this critical document to give their surviving family and friends peace of mind.

If you were to pass away today, ask yourself who would inherit your property? Who would care for your minor children until they are mature enough to make sound life and financial decisions? What charities would you want to support and carry forward your legacy?

If you were to pass away without a last will and testament – which is legally known as dying “intestate” – major decisions would be left up to your state of residency. This includes appointing guardians for your children and distributing your assets, potentially causing disharmony among your loved ones. If your family has experienced any important life events since your plan was last updated – such as marriages, divorces, births, deaths, or changes in financial situations – now is the perfect time to make adjustments.

There are significant incentives to clearly outlining your personal wishes, especially regarding child custody, distribution of real estate or assets, planned charitable giving, and passing on your values. A carefully prepared will can also help reduce expenses, estate taxes, and taxes on retirement plans, while minimizing conflicts relating to settling your estate.

You can prepare your will using CresWill, a free, online will-planning tool that guides you through easy-to-understand prompts. Create a valid will that can be downloaded and printed in just minutes, securing your legacy and your family’s future this spring.

For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025

Copyright: 2016, 2023 & 2025 Crescendo Interactive, Inc. Used by permission: TF-2016-011.1-sr, 23KJ14, 24KJ34

Formula for Success

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Chemistry scholarship proves to be a defining element in UMW senior’s college career 

Alex Bindon '25 earned the Jacqueline C. Kane Scholarship in Chemistry and is planning a career in analytical chemistry. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
Alex Bindon ’25 earned the Jacqueline C. Kane Scholarship in Chemistry and is planning a career in analytical chemistry. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Alex Bindon ’25 felt a rush when he received his Experimental Methods exam. His task? Identify a chemical compound by comparing charts, graphs, and spectra from lab instruments.

“It turned out to be glucose,” said Alex, who discovered a passion for analytical chemistry at the University of Mary Washington. “It feels like I’m a detective in an investigation.”

Alex found a fitting formula at UMW, where he earned the Jacqueline C. Kane Scholarship in Chemistry. It was an honor, he said, to receive the award established by the late Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 in memory of a chemist friend who passed away in 2014.

“It was tremendously helpful,” said Alex, who has worked hard at Mary Washington but has always appreciated guidance from faculty members. When he struggled with organic chemistry his first semester, he reached out to Professor Janet Asper.

“She said that when fighter pilots take off from aircraft carriers, they drop down before they fly up,” he said. “Then she encouraged me to read the textbook and apply myself so I can take off without flying into the ocean.”

The analogy resonated with Alex, who grew up near the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, and catapulted him to success in college.

His perseverance also helped him land an internship last summer with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, where he contributed to the purification and treatment of wastewater to keep the bay clean and prevented sewage from entering harbors. He hopes to find a job there after graduation or at a chemical plant in Richmond, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh.

Alex recently connected with Christy Copper ’91, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, who teaches analytical chemistry. He sought her advice after attending her talk to UMW chemistry majors last fall.

“It’s important to show alumni your true, hard-working self,” he said of Christy and Irene, who established the scholarship that was a catalyst in his college career. “I’m so grateful to those who have supported me so I can take off.”

For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025