How to Make a Lasting Impact through an Estate Plan: Insights from Experienced Attorney, Lanier Thomas

How to Make a Lasting Impact through an Estate Plan: Insights from Experienced Attorney, Lanier Thomas

by | Feb 11, 2025 | Estate Planning, Generosity

Lanier Thomas is a seasoned estate planning attorney at Fennemore Dowling Aaron Law Firm based in Fresno, CA. When asked why he became an estate planning attorney, Lanier said, “I wanted to help people build and preserve things.” 

With an impressive 45 years of experience helping individuals and families preserve their assets and legacies, Lanier has a unique perspective on the value estate planning has for an individual, family, business, and community.

The Ten Talents Foundation exists to help people mobilize a movement of generosity through strategic giving tools. With this in mind, our team asked Lanier, how can a person give to causes they love and make a lasting impact through an estate plan?

Understanding the Basics of an Estate Plan

Before diving into Lanier’s insights, it’s essential to understand what an estate plan is. In simple terms, an estate plan is a collection of legal documents that outline how a person’s assets will be distributed upon their passing. More than just a financial blueprint, it ensures loved ones are cared for and minimizes potential legal complications.

An estate plan isn’t just for the wealthy. Lanier explained, “If you’ve got a house, you’ve got something worth protecting… It’s about leaving your family with good instructions and saving them years of needless expense and heartache.”

Reflecting a Person’s Values through an Estate Plan

Lanier approaches estate planning with curiosity and precision, ensuring each plan reflects the client’s unique values.

“One of the biggest questions I like to ask people is, ‘Where did you learn about money and money’s role in your life and the world?’” Lanier explained. This helps him understand a client’s heart for giving and how that can be reflected in their estate plan.

Lanier encourages clients to focus their generosity on a few key causes. “[I] like people to focus on 4-5 charities in their estate planning,” he said.

He also asks: “What organizations can you give to nowI?” and “What assets do you not need anymore?” Helping clients work through these questions can lead them to give to causes they love now, sell assets, and create a much simpler, straightforward estate plan. 

The Transformational Impact of Including Nonprofits in Estate Plans

Incorporating nonprofits and ministries into estate plans has the potential to bring transformative, and lasting change to entire communities. 

“I’m a realist—I don’t think you can fix everything,” Lanier admitted. “But if it’s done effectively, I think [if more people included giving in their estate plans], we would hear more stories of impact.” It costs a lot for nonprofits to make real change in people’s lives, and strategic giving can fuel that work, explains Lanier.

Lanier emphasized the ripple effect of generosity: It’s not just here in the Central Valley; ”you can make an impact worldwide.“ From funding local community programs to sending medical supplies overseas, the possibilities are endless.

Why Give through an Estate Plan?

“In my experience, people who have had a heart of generosity… [are] more satisfied in life,” Lanier shared. 

 

Lanier emphasized that generosity isn’t just about monetary gifts; it’s about instilling values. “To me, it’s not about what you pass on and who you pass it on to, as much as it is about passing on a spirit of generosity for your family- for your kids, and for your grandkids.”

By weaving generosity into an estate plan, individuals not only provide financial security for their loved ones but can also create a lasting example of giving that can inspire future generations. 

Estate planning provides a unique opportunity to align one’s values with their resources, ensuring their legacy reflects what truly matters most.

Your Legacy, Your Impact

While it is challenging, estate planning challenges us to confront an often-uncomfortable reality. “Many people don’t want to think about death,” Lanier acknowledged. “We have to face our mortality, and as Christians,… we should be able to face that.”  

Rather than avoiding the topic, estate planning allows you to take intentional steps to steward what you’ve been entrusted with in a way that reflects your faith and priorities. By including nonprofits in your will or trust, you can provide for your loved ones while also supporting the causes that matter most to you. 

The impact doesn’t end with this generation—gifts given through thoughtful estate planning can plant seeds of generosity that will bless communities, transform lives, and inspire others for decades to come. 

Your legacy is more than wealth; it’s a reflection of your values and the hope you want to leave behind. A well-planned estate ensures that the love and generosity you’ve shown in your life will continue making a difference long after you’re gone.

The Role of Ten Talents in Helping You Build a Generous Legacy 

Creating an estate plan or updating an existing one doesn’t have to be  overwhelming. The Ten Talents Foundation can connect you with resources and experts like Lanier who can help you incorporate giving into your plan in a way that reflects your heart and priorities.

We also provide tools like Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), a simple yet effective way to steward your generosity. DAFs are like charitable investment accounts, allowing individuals, families, or businesses to give in a tax-wise, strategic way to causes they care about. DAFs can be incorporated into an estate plan and passed onto the next generation.

“A family can say, ‘Here are the causes that matter to us,’ and within reason, Ten Talents will follow that guidance [when helping you give through your DAF],” Lanier  shared. It’s a powerful way to leave a legacy of generosity.

Whether you’re creating your first estate plan, refining an existing one, or starting a Donor Advised Fund, Ten Talents want to help you along the way. 

Lanier Thomas, one of Ten Talents’ first board members and a current member of our advisory team, has helped us understand how a strategic, prayerful, thoughtful estate plan can bless lives, transform communities, and inspire future generations. 

If you would like to start an estate plan or include a charitable gift in your existing will or trust, contact Ten Talents through the button below. We will connect you with the right people and resources to help you have peace of mind and leave a lasting legacy.

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How this Church Gym is bringing Hope to one of California’s Poorest Neighborhoods

How this Church Gym is bringing Hope to one of California’s Poorest Neighborhoods

by | Jun 20, 2024 | Generosity, Giving Funds

The Challenge of Leading a Church in Southeast Fresno

“God has given me the privilege of pastoring this church for 24 years.” says Pastor Elias Lorea.

Family Christian Assembly is located in Southeast Fresno and is nestled in the second poorest zip code in California. This is the church Elias Lorea has pastored for over two decades.

“It has not been an easy endeavor as finances are an issue in this area of town,” says Pastor Eli.

“God has given me the privilege of pastoring this church for 24 years.  It has not been an easy endeavor as our church is located in the second poorest zip code in California. “

Pastor Elias Loera, Family Christian Assembly Church

Despite limited financial resources, Family Christian Assembly has served as a beacon of light to the community. One way the church has done this is through hosting the only kids basketball league south of Shaw Avenue. This basketball league offered a safe way for kids to make friends, get exercise, and learn from healthy adults. The program also provided a way for the church to build relationships with parents and other community members in Southeast Fresno.

Unfortunately, several months ago, the gym became unsafe for kids to play in.

The floor was falling apart, and the space was in such desperate need of renovations, it was not usable for basketball practice.

Gym before renovations ↓

How Generosity Restored the Gym to a Space of Refuge

Several months ago, members of the Ten Talents Foundation team attended a meeting at Family Christian Assembly. During this meeting, God made it clear to the team what an important role the church gym played in their neighborhood and how desperately it needed to be renovated for continued use.

Through intentional and God-ordained conversations, the story was shared with a Ten Talents’ Donor Advised Fund holder. This person eagerly asked that resources in their fund be allocated to help the Family Christian Assembly renovate their gymnasium.

Then, a local contractor heard about the need and offered to put new flooring in the gym for a highly discounted price.

As the renovations neared completion, those who gave to the project financially through their Donor Advised Fund, the Family Christian Assembly leaders, and members of the Ten Talents Foundation staff gathered to pray over the beautiful new space.

Standing in the church gym was a tangible reminder of God’s unmatched ability to connect people’s unique gifts with a community’s practical needs.

“When Ten Talents approached us about partnering with us to remodel and upgrade our gymnasium, we saw the faithfulness of God at work,” says Pastor Eli Loera. “Through generosity, our gym has been transformed from a dark and dreary outdated facility to a bright new room that is welcoming and warm for the kids in our community.”

Gym after renovations ↓

The New Gym’s Impact on Kids and Families

“We just completed our Little Hoopsters Basketball league for kids 7 to 12 years old [in the newly renovated gym] and it was a complete success. Eighty kids participated in a thirteen-week league in a safe environment where they prayed before every game and practice,” says Pastor Eli.

Some Little Hoopster children walked into the church gym off the streets. For at least two days a week, these kids found safety and community in the walls of the Family Christian Assembly gym.

“Since the league started in February, our church has also ministered to several families outside the league through our church,” says Pastor Eli. “Three families who were not attending any church are part of our church family now.”

Though You May Never Meet these Little Hoopsters…

“Ten Talents givers may never meet the kids whose confidence is built up through basketball; they may never meet the single mother who cannot afford the expensive leagues on the north side of town but was able to bring her kids to Little Hoopsters. They may never meet the families who spent ten Saturdays together in a church gym rooting on their kids…”

Pastor Eli continues, “[But] I thank Ten Talents [donors] for transforming our gym league and the lives of so many people in our part of town. 

Our people are faithful and so is God.”

Unified Generosity is Making Our Community Look More like Heaven

Hope grows and neighborhoods are transformed when individuals, businesses, families, nonprofits, and churches unify together through the Ten Talents Foundation to connect generosity with our community’s needs.

You have the talents. The Ten Talents Foundation is simply a “hub” designed to bring those talents together. Whether you are a church offering your gym as a safe space for kids to play basketball, a contractor using his skills to install new flooring, a business person helping to fund the project and pray for the children whose little feet will walk across the basketball court, YOU are helping our city and world look more like Heaven.

Tax Considerations for Donor Advised Fund Holders

Tax Considerations for Donor Advised Fund Holders

by | Feb 21, 2024 | Generosity, Giving Funds

 At the Ten Talents Foundation, we love to educate our community about tools they can use to live a tax-wise and generous life. One of these powerful tools is called a Donor Advised Fund. A Donor Advised Fund is like a charitable investment account! When you use a Donor Advised Fund to give to causes you love, you will:

1. Receive tax deductions. Donor Advised Fund holders enjoy a federal income tax deduction of up to 60% of adjusted gross income for cash contributions and up to 30% of adjusted gross income for the appreciated securities they donate. (Source: Investopedia)

2. Simplify your giving. When you use a Donor Advised Fund to make your donations, you can give to multiple organizations you love while receiving only ONE tax receipt letter.

3. Plan ahead. A Donor Advised Fund allows you to give assets or cash into the fund, receive tax benefits based on that gift, but distribute the funds to ministries later. This allows you to be more intentional and strategic in your giving, without rushing to make a gift now.

4. Give non-cash assets. When you donate an asset into your Donor Advised Fund, we sell the asset and the proceeds fund your generosity and provide tax savings. 

5. Incur tax-free growth. Funds in your Donor Advised Fund may be invested in a variety of investment models, providing the possibility of tax-free growth. 

Still have questions about Donor Advised Funds? Grab coffee with Ten Talents’ Chief Operating Officer, Dan Kimball, and hear a helpful overview of how a Donor Advised Fund works! ↓

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Including Ministries in Your Will or Trust

Including Ministries in Your Will or Trust

by | Oct 6, 2023 | Generosity, Giving Funds, Uncategorized

Including Ministries You Love in Your Will or Trust (with guidelines & intentionality)

Have you included the causes, ministries, or nonprofits you love in your will or trust?

Are you interested in creating a family culture of giving? Do you want to leave assets to an organization, but you’re concerned one day they will change and start operating contrary to your values?

When you allocate assets in your will or trust to your Giving Fund (DAF) with the Ten Talents Foundation you can give to organizations you love long-term with guidelines and intentionality. Designating resources to your Giving Fund (DAF) in your will or trust allows you to: 

  • Create a family culture of giving.
    Leave giving instructions for family members on how to manage the Giving Fund. This empowers your family to carry out a culture of generosity for generations.
  • Ensure the giving aligns with your values.
    Some individuals are hesitant to include a nonprofit or ministry in their will or trust out of fear the organization will eventually stop operating in line with the person’s values. Putting your assets in a Giving Fund (DAF) allows you to leave guidelines a ministry must meet in order to receive gifts out of your Fund.

If you have questions about including a Giving Fund (DAF) in your will or trust we are here to help. Don’t have a will or trust? If you need help setting up a will or trust, contact Ten Talents and we will direct you to the right next steps!

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What is a “Successful” Retirement?

What is a “Successful” Retirement?

by | Jul 19, 2023 | Generosity, Giving Funds

What is a “Successful” Retirement? 

“The happiest people I have worked with are not necessarily those who retire the wealthiest. They’re the ones who have a giving spirit infused in their family culture.”

~ Jeff Bradshaw, Financial Advisor & Ten Talents Board Member

Agriculture, Wall Street, & Entrepreneurship: Jeff’s Story

After moving from the Midwest to the Central Valley in his late twenties, Jeff Bradshaw developed a deep relationship with the California farming and agri-business community. He worked for companies including Monsanto, John Deere, and Netafim Irrigation, and in 2000, Jeff began his financial career at a Wall Street firm.

At this firm, Jeff quickly realized promoting commissioned products did not always best serve the client and align with his personal values. This experience led him to start his own company, Sierra Pacific Financial Services, Inc.

“Outperform the competition.” “Surpass last year’s revenue.” “Double the client base.”

These are metrics of success Jeff became very familiar with.

Yet, when a person approaches retirement or is confronted with the legacy they want to leave their family and community, defining “success” can feel more abstract and elusive. Because of this, many people don’t think about it at all. “There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing people depart this world with little to show for their efforts and no lasting legacy,” says Jeff.

Jeff Bradshaw, Financial Advisor & Ten Talents Board Member

So, what is a “successful” retirement?

“Retirement is a term created in the West,” says Jeff, “but it isn’t a Biblical concept. While a person’s season may change as they age, their life’s focus does not need to shift from giving to taking.”

“[When thinking about retirement], ’how much money have you saved?’ is not the question at all,” says Jeff.

“Instead, it is, ‘What quality of life do you want to lead?’ and how can I best use my time, skills, and experiences to help others in this next season of my life?'” It’s important to think about how you’re investing your money and how you’ll pay for important expenses later in life.

However, as Jeff defines a “successful” retirement, he also factors in a person’s relationships, physical, spiritual, and mental life. “One important element of a [vibrant retirement] is one [marked by generosity].”

“Retirement is a term created in the West, but it isn’t a Biblical concept. While a person’s season may change as they age, their life’s focus does not need to shift from giving to taking.”

~ Jeff Bradshaw

I’m far from retirement, but how can I think about leaving a legacy now?

Thinking about your legacy involves asking, what spirit am I instilling in my family now?

If I work 60 hours a week and golf every weekend, I can’t be surprised if self-centeredness is infused in my family culture.

Contrarily, if I expose my children through my example of volunteering for important causes they can get involved in too, I am cultivating something countercultural. I am cultivating a generational spirit of giving of time, talent, and financial resources.

Some of us feel like we need to be millionaires to leave a legacy. Is this true?

“It takes the same heart to give $25 as it does to give $25 million,” says Jeff. The amount of money is less important than the intentionality behind your legacy plan.

As an example, Jeff says you can create a trust, or a Giving Fund (also known as a Donor Advised Fund), pick a few organizations your family loves to support, and allow your kids to give out of this fund for years into the future.

Usually, we don’t care about an investment until we have skin in the game.

Opening a Giving Fund (DAF) is a great way to get your family’s skin in the game. When you put funds into the account, they can’t be removed for personal spending. It’s like putting money into an envelope you get to then give out of in the future, providing a level of accountability for those managing the fund.

It’s also important to remember, says Jeff, leaving a legacy of giving starts in your home and in your neighborhood. Generosity can involve money, but it can also be as simple as cooking a meal with your family and delivering it to a neighbor.

Money without heart doesn’t go far, but a heart of generosity can impact generations.

“Leaving a legacy starts in your home and neighborhood. Generosity can involve money, but it can also be as simple as cooking a meal with your family and delivering it to a neighbor.”

~ Jeff Bradshaw

I want to leave a legacy of generosity. But how do I know what to give to?

First, you need to know your identity. What are your values? What is your “North Star” determining what those values are? What are your unique passions?

Then, start strategically giving to organizations and causes aligning with your values and passions.

“The giver is becoming more astute about where their money goes,” says Jeff. Organizations like the Ten Talents Foundation are great resources to help you align your passions and giving with organizations effectively meeting the needs of your community.

Sometimes people need a sounding board, coaching, or education on giving, says Jeff. Ten Talents can help people start the discussion, look at their assets, identify assets no longer being utilized, set up funds to save in taxes, and ensure every penny of giving aligns with their values.

The Ten Talents Foundation is deeply thankful for people like Jeff who are inspiring our community to invest their resources to serve others beyond their own lives. If you have questions about starting a Giving Fund (DAF), setting up a legacy plan, or where to begin in thinking about these topics, we would love to connect with you!

Together, we can mobilize a movement of generosity impacting our community for generations to come.

“First, you need to know your identity. What are your values? What are your unique passions? Then start strategically giving to organizations and causes aligning with your values and passions.”

~ Jeff Bradshaw

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Generosity & The Gospel

Generosity & The Gospel

by | Apr 12, 2023 | Generosity

Generosity & the Gospel

Last Sunday, some families loaded up a car full of kiddos dressed in their Easter best and sped to church. Others colored eggs, enjoyed a quiet afternoon, or cooked a delicious meal for the family (or perhaps allowed Applebees to do the cooking this year!).

No matter how you spent Easter Sunday, all Christians are challenged with this question today: How do we live out the Gospel, the message of Jesus’ resurrection, in the mundane, difficult, and normal life of this week?

In a recent conversation with Sylvia Plumb, Ten Talents Foundation Board Member, she shares that living generously is one of the most practical ways to carry out the Easter message today.

What does generosity have to do with the Gospel?

“The Lord brings people along our path who we can choose to share our time, attention, and resources with,” says Sylvia. 

How do we respond when a friend in need interrupts our busy schedule? 

Are our thoughts oriented toward impressing others or serving them? 

Do we view our money and assets as status symbols to be held or gifts to be shared?

In a society where time is money and money is success, a willingness to give either freely is radically counter-cultural.

In a society where time is money and money is success, a willingness to give either freely is radically counter-cultural.

Sylvia has been in the mortgage business for over 30 years. She is honored to assist many people with their home financing needs, viewing her career as an opportunity for generosity.  

“God has given me the ability to use the home loan industry as a mission field- it’s my marketplace ministry,” says Sylvia. 

The Lord has provided many opportunities for prayer in Sylvia’s “Marketplace Ministry”. As Sylvia has taken the time to truly see people and hear their stories over the last three decades, she has been able to pray with countless individuals and couples facing hopelessness or discouragement.

Instead of focusing on how many meetings she can fit into a day or what kind of reputation she can build in the community, Sylvia views her work as an opportunity to love people.

“Knowing every good and perfect gift is from God [including my career] makes me feel blessed to be a little part of other people’s journey,” says Sylvia. “One of my favorite Bible passages about this topic is in 2 Corinthians 9.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God…

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (emphasis ours)

When we choose to be generous with our time, attention, or resources people may ask, “Why do you live like this?” Generosity opens the door to share the Gospel, the good news about the One who produces a giving heart.

Generosity opens the door to share the Gospel, the good news about the One who produces a giving heart. 

How can we cultivate lives of generosity?

“Ask God to see people through His eyes and love through His heart, and look for opportunities to be generous!” says Sylvia.

The premise of the Easter message is: we need God. We need supernatural help to live the life He has called us to. We don’t have to work harder to become “better” people or give a certain amount of money so we are now deemed “selfless.”

2 Corinthians 9:11 says you “will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous.” God is the Only one who can produce Gospel-reflecting, selfless generosity in us.

We are not generous so that we can be blessed or earn God’s favor. We are generous because God enriches us to do so.

Staying connected every day to our ultimate Provider through prayer, community, and His Word is where this all begins. God is the One propelling a movement of generosity in the Central Valley (& beyond) for eternal impact. We just have the incredible opportunity to be part of HIS movement.

As we think about living out the Gospel message this week, Sylvia encourages us to start with prayer. “Ask that the Lord will transform our hearts in prayer to generously share our time, talents, and treasure to draw others to Himself.”

God is the Only one who can produce Gospel-reflecting, selfless generosity in us.

God is the One propelling a movement of generosity in the Central Valley (& beyond) for eternal impact. We just have the incredible opportunity to be part of HIS movement!

Sylvia Plumb, Ten Talents Foundation Board Member