Joe And Anna Have Been Faithful Supporters Of CFA. They Believe It Is Important To Help Further Our Mission.

Joe: Anna and I believe Christian Foundation of America is truly helping others. It is important to us to partner with them to make a difference. That is why we have made several gifts over the years.

Anna: But we wanted to do more than just make gifts. Joe and I have been careful and have been able to save enough for retirement. We plan to be generous with family, but we also have the ability to be generous with charity.

Joe: After talking it over, we decided to leave a bequest in each of our wills. Our attorney took the simple language available from the organization and included a nice bequest in my will as well as Anna’s. We are delighted that we will be helping others through these gifts.

Is A Charitable Bequest Right For You?

We have resources that will help you learn more about bequests. Click here to review sample bequest language. You will see how easy it is to include a bequest in your will or trust.

You might find it helpful to print this page and the bequest language. Please feel free to give this information to your attorney. If he or she has any questions, please contact us.

*Please note: The names and image above are representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view a color example of your benefits.

Using A Beneficiary Designation To Make A Gift To Charity

Joanne and her late husband Hal had been longtime supporters of our organization. Recently, Joanne’s children encouraged her to update her estate plan. Joanne thought that was a great idea. In fact, she had been thinking about meeting with her attorney to discuss how she could make a significant gift to support our work.

Joanne: Hal and I were passionate about Christian Foundation of America’s mission. We even volunteered regularly. After Hal passed away, I wanted to make a gift that would honor his memory.

When she met with her attorney, Joanne explained her goals and described her assets. She’d inherited Hal’s IRA, which when combined with her own, would provide her with the necessary retirement security she needed. She even had enough to allow her to take regular vacations and splurge on gifts for the grandkids.

Joanne: I had originally thought about leaving my IRA to our kids and other assets to charity. My attorney suggested a different strategy and told me that an IRA is a great gift to leave to charity. He explained that if my kids inherited the IRA, my estate would pay estate taxes and my kids would pay income tax on the IRA. But, by giving the IRA to charity and other assets to my kids, the kids will still receive a nice inheritance, and we avoid income and estate taxes entirely!

Joanne: Making a gift of my IRA was easy! I contacted my IRA custodian, who emailed me an IRA beneficiary designation form. I completed the form, named Christian Foundation of America as the primary beneficiary of my IRA and mailed it back to the custodian. I called Christian Foundation of America to tell them about my gift, and they were very touched. I know Hal would be happy too. Best of all, I can continue to use my IRA for as long as I live, and when I pass away, my IRA will go to charity.

Is A Beneficiary Designation Gift Right For You?

If you own a qualified retirement plan, such as an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b) and would like to make a charitable gift, your family or your estate might benefit if you update your beneficiary designation form naming our organization as a beneficiary. Beneficiary designation gifts may help your heirs avoid paying income tax on certain inherited assets and may help your estate avoid estate taxes.

If you have questions about making a beneficiary designation gift, please contact us. We would be happy to work with you and answer any questions that you have.

*Please note: The name and image above is representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since the benefits of each gift may be different, you should seek the advice of your legal, tax or financial advisor.

After Working For Decades As A Pediatrician

in a small town, Patricia is ready to retire. Patricia has enough saved for retirement, but she is concerned about the impact a drop in the stock market would have on her retirement savings.

Patricia: While I was working, I bought stock every year. Overall, this was a good investment strategy. The stock grew in value considerably. Now that I am retiring, I need a new strategy — one that protects my savings so that my situation won’t change even with changes in the markets.

Patricia spoke with a friend who recently set up a charitable gift annuity with her favorite charity. Patricia called our organization and learned that she would receive a good payout based on her age and that she would receive a charitable income tax deduction and part of the payment from the annuity would be tax free.

Patricia: I transferred my stock to fund a charitable gift annuity. I was delighted with the fixed payment I received. I avoided part of the capital gains tax, and my CPA was pleased that my charitable deduction will save taxes this year. With my tax savings and increased income, I can afford to travel to see my grandchildren several times this year!

Are you looking for Tax Smart supplemental income options?

We specialize in complex Tax Smart giving options. Payouts will vary depending on a number of specific factors. Please contact us to inquire about potential supplemental income payout rates or if you have any questions about Tax Smart charitable gifts.

*Please note: The name and image above are representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your gift annuity benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view a color example of your benefits.

Howard And Lynn Were Both Age 55…

when they purchased some vacant land a few miles outside of town. They thought real estate would be a good investment that could be sold later for a profit.

Over the years, development from town has moved toward the property, and their land is now next to a large commercial store. Howard and Lynn rent the property to the commercial store, which uses the property for overflow parking.

Howard: The property had been a good investment. We owned it for over 15 years. The rental income had been enough the last few years to pay the property taxes, but we wanted to sell.

Lynn: We told our tax advisor that we were starting to think about selling the land. He told us that if we sold, we would have to pay capital gains tax. We were concerned about this until he explained how a charitable remainder unitrust could help us avoid the tax.

Howard: By transferring the land to the trust, we saved $36,000 in capital gains tax and received a charitable income tax deduction that reduced our income taxes by $18,000. That is over $54,000 in total tax savings! We were delighted with the tax benefits of the unitrust.

Lynn: The trust was able to sell the land and reinvest the sales proceeds. The trust pays us income from its investments. We had very little income from the land before, but now we receive nearly $12,000 from the trust each year! This increased income is one of my favorite parts of the trust plan.

Is A Tax-Free Sale From A Charitable Remainder Unitrust Right For You?

If you own highly appreciated property, such as real estate or stocks, you could benefit from a charitable remainder unitrust. The trust will help you bypass capital gains, will provide you with a charitable income tax deduction in the year of the gift and could increase your income.

*Please note: The names and image above are representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your unitrust benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view a color example of your benefits.