More than 80% of people in the United States recognize the importance of estate planning, yet less than a third have established a will or trust, according to findings from the 2025 Trust & Will Estate Planning Report. This substantial gap between awareness and action has prompted the American Heart Association to offer a free educational webinar focused on practical estate planning solutions.
The webinar, scheduled for Thursday, February 26, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, will specifically address revocable living trusts and charitable remainder unitrusts. These financial instruments can simplify asset management during one's lifetime and ensure charitable intentions are fulfilled after death. "Estate planning can be overwhelming without proper guidance. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a legacy that protects their money and their generosity," said Lee Shapiro, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association and managing partner at 7wireVentures.
The session will feature guest experts in wealth management, estate law, and trust administration, including Clare Ceplecha, JD, CFTA, Mary Alfred, JD, and Samuel M. DiPietro. They will use plain language and real-life examples to explain how trusts are structured, created, and maintained. The presentation will detail the rules governing simple and complex trusts and demonstrate how trusts can be useful tools for charitable giving.
For the American Heart Association, planned giving represents a critical component of its funding strategy. Donations from planned gifts support the organization's 2028 Impact Goal, which aims to drive breakthroughs in science, policy, and healthcare. Donors who include the Association in their estate plans are recognized as members of the Paul Dudley White Legacy Circle, a designation within the Cor Vitae Society named for one of the Association's visionary founders.
Legacy gifts are vital to sustaining the Association's role as the nation's leading non-governmental funder of cardiovascular research, with more than $5.9 billion invested in scientific discovery since 1949. This financial support fuels lifesaving research and education initiatives aimed at helping people live longer, healthier lives. Participants in the webinar will receive free resources about charitable trusts and revocable living trusts upon registration. Advanced online registration is required and can be completed at heart.org/plan.
