According to an online report by the Chronicle on Philanthropy, the American Council on Gift Annuities on December 29th voted to urge charities that issue charitable gift annuities to lower both the annuity rates they pay annuitants and the amount of interest that assets in gift annuities are expected to earn annually.  MORE »

A charitable gift annuity is described generally as a transaction in which an individual transfers cash or property to a charitable organization in exchange for the charity's promise to make fixed annuity payments to one or two life annuitants. This comprehensive report discusses the origin of gift annuities, how they are designed and regulated, how charitable contribution deductions are determined, taxation of distributions to annuitants, taxation of gift annuities to issuing organizations, and creative planning opportunities for donors.

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Life settlement, in which life insurance policies are sold in a secondary market, has become a major financial market and viable opportunity for policyowners to convert unneeded policies for more than their cash surrender value (CSV), often with favorable tax treatment. In this article from the Journal of Accountancy, appraiser Alan Breus, CLU, ChFC reviews the history of the life settlement marketplace, emerging regulation, income tax consequences, tips for safe transactions, and charitable applications.

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When considering their charitable options, many donors overlook giving assets that can provide the greatest tax benefits. In this article from the Journal of Practical Estate Planning, Orange County, California attorney Joy Gibney Berus discusses several factors to consider and requirements that must be met to obtain and maximize the benefits from donations of art, antiques and collectibles.  MORE »

A few years ago, insurance advisers Michael Brink and Bryan Clontz wrote an article for the Planned Giving Design Center that discusses ten creative charitable uses of life insurance and their tax implications in planned giving. It has now been updated for current law, so we thought you might enjoy taking another look.
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In February of this year, Congress passed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Included in this bill is a provision for up to 130 million taxpayers to receive tax rebates. In this special report, Robert Sharpe, Jr. and Barlow Mann from The Sharpe Group discuss what they believe to be a tremendous opportunity and advantage for taxpayers to donate their rebates to charity.
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Gifts of life insurance policies to not-for-profit organizations can benefit both the organization and the donor, the latter in the form of an often sizeable income tax charitable deduction. However, under the requirements of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA),
determining the fair market value of policies requires the help of an appraiser with the appropriate expertise and experience. In this article from the Journal of Accountancy, appraiser Alan Breus, CLU, ChFC reviews current appraisal requirements and appraiser qualifications.  MORE »

Writing on behalf of the American Council on Gift Annuities, Lindsay Lapole and Frank Minton have announced the State of New York has issued new reserve requirements for charities that issue charitable gift annuities in New York.  MORE »

According to a new article by Barlow Mann of The Sharpe Group, organizations asking their older donors to simply include them in their will may be missing a tremendous opportunity: current gifts of publicly-traded securities and other non-cash assets.  MORE »

One of the greatest planning challenges for many philanthropists is to balance their goals of providing for charity in the immediate term and family members long-term. In this case study, The Sharpe Group illustrates how a couple concerned about an uncertain gift and estate tax environment uses an inter vivos nongrantor nonrersionary charitable lead annuity trust as a "temporary" private foundation.  MORE »