Gifts of cash provide you with the maximum allowable charitable deduction – more than gifts made using assets other than cash. The IRS allows you to claim a charitable deduction for gifts of cash up to 50% of your adjusted gross income each year.
Gifts made using checks and credit cards are considered gifts of cash and receive the same tax benefit.
Any excess deduction can be carried forward for up to 5 additional tax years if needed.
By using an asset other than cash to make a gift, you can double your benefit.
Avoid or delay capital gains if the asset has appreciated.
Receive a deduction for the full value up to 30% of adjusted gross income. Any excess deduction can be carried forward for up to 5 additional tax years if needed.
Did you know you could set aside a portion of your estate for charity while leaving the bulk to heirs? Many people decide to leave a percentage of their estate (such as 10%) to charity and the rest to family.
Or, you can provide for family and friends first, then leave the rest of your estate -- known as the "residue" -- to charity. Either of these methods can be established through a bequest in your will or living trust.
You place assets in trust for a number of years. You select the time frame.
During that period, we receive income from the trust. You select the payout percentage. You receive a gift tax deduction (note: you may owe gift taxes).
At the end of the trust, your named heirs receive the trust assets.
No additional gift or estate taxes are due when your heirs receive the trust assets. The value of the assets were “frozen” when they were originally transferred into the trust.
This arrangement may be right for you if:
You would like to pass assets to heirs in a tax-efficient manner.
The assets in question are expected to appreciate substantially over time.
Did you know you could set aside a portion of your estate for charity while leaving the bulk to heirs? Many people decide to leave a percentage of their estate (such as 10%) to charity and the rest to family.
Or, you can provide for family and friends first, then leave the rest of your estate -- known as the "residue" -- to charity. Either of these methods can be established through a bequest in your will or living trust.
In working with your team of professional advisers, a number of choices are available as to who would be the best trustee for you. Please contact us to discuss this further.
If the assets in the trust are liquid such as cash or securities, typically a unitrust is invested in a balance portfolio that is designed to produce both income and growth over the term of the trust. If the trust assets are primarily non-liquid assets such as real estate or personal property, the trust may be held for growth in capital appreciation rather than current income. At some later date, the non-liquid assets could be sold (avoiding capital gains taxes) to be re-invested to produce income for the income beneficiaries.
Gifts of cash or appreciated property yield the same result for tax deduction purposes. However, gifts of appreciated property have the added value of avoiding capital gains taxes.
In most cases, yes. The value of the trust principal will be determined by a qualified appraisal of the property. However, real estate or other property may not be producing income and thus the income beneficiaries may receive no or very little income until these assets are sold and re-invested to produce income.
It depends on the age(s) of any children you name as income beneficiaries. Our interest in the trust must be at least 10 percent of the value of the assets donated to the trust. This interest is calculated using the life expectancies of the income beneficiaries. Thus, the younger your children, the longer their life expectancy, and the smaller will be the charitable remainder value. Even younger adult children may disqualify the trust.
A charitable remainder unitrust is a powerful tool that can save you income, capital gain, estate and inheritance taxes depending on your circumstances and state of domicile. A qualified adviser is crucial to assist you in maximizing these benefits.
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Questions and Answers:
Who can serve as trustee of my unitrust?