It is better to give than to receive.
Whether it is giving of your time, talents or financial resources, there is a lot to be gained by simply being generous. As a professional financial advisor, one of my many great pleasures is helping clients plan and then efficiently give to causes near and dear to them. Recently, I helped long-time clients do just that. After conducting a Financial Independence analysis that provided confidence that they were in a position to provide financial assistance to others, they decided to earmark a significant amount for charitable giving. However, like many, these clients were not sure which charity to give support … just yet.
Enter the DONOR ADVISED FUND. Donor Advised Funds have been around for a while – but I am still surprised at how little they are used. Many firms and organizations offer them – Southeast MI Community Foundation, Fidelity, Raymond James, etc. There are many situations where a donor advised fund might make sense.
Hopefully you are aware of the advantages of gifting appreciated securities, which allow you to avoid capital gains taxation (note that I said avoid and not evade). When you gift appreciated securities to a charity or donor advised fund held for longer than 12 months, you are able to deduct the fair market value of the securities and avoid capital gains. I like to say that there are three parties to a charitable donation; you, the charity, and your silent partner the IRS. We want you and the charity to benefit the most.
A donor advised fund allows you to lock in the gain by transferring the shares to the donor advised fund. Next, you get an immediate income tax deduction. And then, you can decide on the specific charity or charities to benefit at a later date. For more information visit the web site www.myfamilyfoundation.org. If you would like additional assistance – give us a call – we’d like nothing more than to help you with your charitable giving.
The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc., and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James.