Legacy Giving
by Ron Knol

What are you going to do with it?
You know you “can’t take it with you,”
so… If you don’t make a plan, the government has one for you.

As part of your long-term financial planning, a PLANNED gift can offer you substantial tax and estate planning benefits and allow you to make a larger and more lasting gift to charity. Individuals with average financial resources can achieve advantages larger than they ever thought possible to make a significant difference in society.  Some planned gifts, such as gifts of stock, can be immediate, while others, such as a gift of life insurance, can be deferred.  Some are revocable, such as a bequest in a Will, and some are irrevocable.  Here are some efficient and effective ways to make planned gifts to charity:

Placing a Legacy in your Will

Including a gift to charity in your will significantly reduce or eliminate the tax owed by your Estate.  A popular way to do this is to make the “Charity” your extra child – giving one share of your Estate to charities, just as you may give one share to each of your children.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities

If you hold shares or mutual funds that have accrued a significant Capital Gain, giving these shares directly to charity (instead of selling them and donating the cash proceeds) will multiply the benefits since the tax payable on the Capital Gain is eliminated.

Looking for expertise in planned giving, give us a call at 780.819.0095.