Planned gifts include gifts irrevocably contributed to Carnegie Mellon today, either outright or to a life income plan with use by the university deferred into the future. They most often are gifts of appreciated assets. A popular type of planned gift is a "life income plan" such as a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, Charitable Gift Annuity, Deferred Gift Annuity or Pooled Income Fund. Though each vehicle has specific elements and benefits, the common thread through all of these life income plans is that the donor makes an irrevocable gift today but reserves an income for life for the donor and/or his or her designated beneficiaries. Other types of irrevocable planned gifts are gifts of real estate, which may provide for a retained life estate, gifts of the ownership of life insurance and gifts of tangible personal property.