Financial, Estate and Charitable Planning. 

Details:
A bequest – a gift made through your will or living trust – can be the easiest gift to make because it costs you nothing during your lifetime. Plus, it’s “revocable,” so you can update or change it if circumstances change. If you already have a will or living trust, you can amend it to include a bequest to a nonprofit organization with a simple codicil. (Your nonprofit should be able to provide you with sample bequest and codicil language.)

Donor Profile: 
Bequests are one of the easiest and most popular gift plans. This plan can fit any prospect: single, married, childfree or multi-generational, wealthy or not. Often a bequest is simply a set amount or percentage of an estate set aside to make a gift to a nonprofit that your prospect wants to continue to support. Does a donor already have a will and does not want to pay their attorney to change it? In most states a donor can execute a simple codicil (or will addition) to make the gift in a cost-effective manner.

Details:
You transfer publicly traded securities that you have owned for more than one year to a nonprofit organization. The nonprofit sells the securities and applies the proceeds to the charitable purpose(s) that you designate. You claim an income tax charitable deduction based on the fair market value of the securities and also avoid capital gains tax on the securities' appreciation. 

Donor Profile:
Donors who hold highly appreciated securities for a number of years. Also for donors who do not plan on selling the stock, and want to use the stock to generate income from a Gift Annuity (see below).

Details:
Donor designates a charity as a beneficiary of his/her life insurance policy. When the time comes, the nonprofit receives the proceeds. Thus, the donor can provide a large gift to benefit a nonprofit for relatively little cost. The policy proceeds distributed to the nonprofit will be exempt from estate tax in your client‘s estate.. 

Donor Profile:
Donors who hold a paid-up life insurance policy where no one needs the proceeds. Great for donor who do not want to affect current cash flow. The donor will have the flexibility to change his/her beneficiary designation later if his/her circumstances change.

Details:
Real estate makes a real great gift. When you deed property to a nonprofit, you receive an income tax charitable deduction for the value of the contribution. Plus, you can elect to make an outright donation, or use the value to fund a gift that pays you income. Either way, you make a generous gift to your favorite charity and those it serves.

Donor Profile:
Donors whose property will face significant capital gains tax and who do not need (or want) to pass their property on to an heir are the best prospects for a real estate gift. Also perfect for properties that are tough to maintain or vacation homes no longer one wants.

Details:
You can make a significant gift by transferring a painting, antiques, collectibles – any “appreciated stuff” – to a charity. In return, you receive an immediate income tax deduction, and pay no capital gains on the appreciation. The nonprofit can either hold the property, display it, or sell it and apply the proceeds to the purpose you choose.

Donor Profile:
Donors who have appreciated property and no heirs, or no interested heirs, are the best match for this type of gift. In some cases, prospects have heirs, but they own a piece of appreciated personal property that their heirs do not want or cannot use.

Details:
Donor names a nonprofit organization as the beneficiary of a portion or all of his/her IRA, 401(k) plan, or other retirement account. When the time comes, the amount designated passes to the nonprofit income- and estate-tax free.

Donor Profile:
Someone who holds a 401(k), IRA, or other retirement plan and does not need the additional income, and want to give the most heavily-taxed assets in his/her estate to a nonprofit and leave more favorably-taxed property to his/her heirs.

Details:
The IRA charitable rollover allows taxpayers age 70½ or older to make tax-free charitable gifts of up to $100,000 per year directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts to eligible charities. The funds should be directly transferred to charity and not withdrawn first.

Donor Profile:
A donor who does not need the additional income and wants to avoid "double taxation" on the minimum required distribution (MRD)

Details:
A pooled income fund works like a philanthropic mutual fund. Your gift is pooled with gifts from others who are supporting the same nonprofit, and it is invested to pay you a quarterly income calculated from your proportional share of the fund. When each participant passes away, the nonprofit receives a gift in the amount of the participant’s proportional share of the fund. Using appreciated assets to fund your share of a pooled income fund helps you to avoid capital gains tax on the gifted asset.

Donor Profile:
Pooled Income Funds, or PIFs, are best suited to philanthropic donors who are “investors.” They are often interested in and invested in the stock market, so this type of gift appeals to the prospect’s financial type while providing them with a comfortable way to make a meaningful gift to their favorite charity.

Details:
You can give and get! In a Charitable Gift Annuity, you and a nonprofit agree to exchange your irrevocable transfer of cash or securities to the nonprofit for a fixed income payment to you — for life. The gift also entitles you to an immediate charitable income tax deduction. At the end of its term, the annuity balance goes to the nonprofit to support its mission. No wonder the Charitable Gift Annuity is one of the most popular of all planned gifts!

Donor Profile:
Charitable Gift Annuities are great for donors who want to make a gift but need retirement income now in order to take care of current or anticipated expenses. Typically, this is for conservative donors who are cash conscious or who are concerned about their own or a spouse’s needs as they age. Donors who are concerned about their children’s retirement may be interested in funding a deferred flexible gift annuity for their children’s benefit.

Details:
A charitable remainder unitrust is a separately invested and managed charitable trust that pays a percentage of its principal, revalued annually, to you and/or other income beneficiaries you name for life or a term of years (up to a maximum of 20). You receive a charitable income tax deduction for a portion of the value of the assets you place in the trust. After the unitrust terminates, the balance or "remainder interest" goes to the nonprofit you support to be used as you designate.

Donor Profile:
You like flexibility. You can use almost any asset to fund a unitrust, including cash, publicly traded stocks and bonds, closely held stock, partnership interests, and real estate. You can tailor your unitrust to meet many financial or estate planning goals. You can choose to receive income beginning immediately or you can structure the trust and its investments to defer most of your income to a future time (a Flip Unitrust).

Details:
A charitable remainder annuity trust is a separately invested and managed charitable trust that pays you, and/or other beneficiaries, a fixed annuity for life or for a term of years (up to 20). You receive a charitable income tax deduction for a portion of the value of the assets you place in the trust. No upfront capital gains tax on any appreciated assets contributed to the annuity trust. The income received may be taxed favorably thus possibly reducing estate tax liability. After the annuity trust terminates the balance or "remainder interest" goes to the nonprofit to be used as you designate.

Donor Profile:
You want to make a major gift while retaining or increasing your income from the assets you contribute. This gift is even more attractive if you hold appreciated stocks or bonds and want to avoid the capital gains cost of a sale. Donor also prefers the stability of a fixed income. 

Details:
A Charitable Lead Trust works like a Charitable Remainder Trust in reverse. When you make the gift, the trust pays income to your designated charity first, typically for a term of years. After that, the trust assets are passed back to you or other family members you designate.

Donor Profile:
Charitable Lead Trusts are for donors who want to fund a gift now and transfer tax-advantaged wealth to another generation. Lead Trusts work best when funded over $1,000,000, meaning this gift plan is for wealthy donors.

Details:
With this gift, you transfer a property deed to a charity, and retain the right to use or live in the property for your lifetime. The tax deduction you receive in the year of the transfer is based on your life expectancy and the property’s current value, and you agree to cover expenses and maintenance of the property during your lifetime.

Donor Profile:
Similar to a gift of real estate, a prospect who wants to retain use of their home for their lifetime but does not need or want to include their property in their estate plan will benefit from retained life estates.

Details:
You sell your property to a nonprofit organization for an amount less than the fair market value, and you receive a charitable tax deduction equal to the difference between the market value and the sale price. This can sometimes be more financially advantageous to you than selling the property and making an outright charitable gift from the proceeds of the sale,

Donor Profile:
A donor who faces significant capital gains issues and wants to receive a lump sum payment and a tax deduction is the right match for a Charitable Bargain Sale.