While the primary motivation is often an altruistic desire to simply give back, there are also numerous potential financial benefits to incorporating philanthropy in estate plan, such as:
Tax Advantages
Charitable donations can provide significant income, gift, and estate tax deductions. This allows you to redirect a portion of assets you’d otherwise pay in taxes directly to philanthropic pursuits.
Asset Protection
Contributions to charitable trusts and foundations can help reduce your exposure to estate taxes while shielding assets from creditors and lawsuits.
Income Streams
Certain charitable vehicles, such as charitable remainder trusts, provide donors with an income stream during their lifetimes before assets transfer to non-profit beneficiaries.
Privacy and Control
Rather than direct bequests subject to public scrutiny, planning grants you greater privacy, control, and decision-making over charitable gifts.
Cultivating a Legacy
Contributing to causes meaningful to you creates an enduring legacy that transcends just passing down personal wealth.
Savvy Charitable Planning Solutions
As your legal advisors, the Law Office of Andrew Fesler works closely with you to understand your philanthropic vision and implement customized giving solutions, including:
- Charitable Trusts: These irrevocable trusts, such as charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts, provide tax benefits while directing funds to your chosen charitable causes upon termination.
- Donor-Advised Funds: Contribute to a donor-advised fund, which acts much like a charitable investment account for supporting multiple nonprofits over time.
- Private Foundations: For the ultimate in control, you can establish and operate your own private foundation or family charitable trust focused on your specific philanthropic areas of interest.
- Bequests and Beneficiary Designations: We draft provisions for simple charitable beneficiary designations from wills, trusts, life insurance policies, and retirement accounts.
Our Role as Your Philanthropic Partner
Coordinating charitable goals within your larger estate plan requires considerable technical knowledge and expertise our firm provides, including:
• Advanced charitable planning techniques and best practices
• Optimizing tax savings and asset protection benefits
• Evaluating costs and implications of different giving vehicles
• Satisfying compliance standards for charitable entities
• Facilitating family meetings to promote your philanthropic vision
Whether you want to “give forward” while living or create an eternal charitable legacy, our legal acumen helps philanthropists magnify their generosity and social impact.
Giving back doesn’t need to come at the expense of providing for your own loved ones. With our firm’s experience, we’ll maximize your charitable impact while balancing your estate planning objectives. Let’s discuss how to elevate your philanthropic giving during your lifetime and beyond.
