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If you are thinking about naming a trust with a charitable beneficiary as the recipient of some of your retirement assets, here is a word of advice: Don't! With the important exception of a charitable remainder trust (CRT), such a trust can pose problems for the mandatory payouts from the retirement account as well as challenges for claiming charitable income tax deductions for the charitable gifts

Christopher R. Hoyt, Professor of Law

September 1, 2006

25 Min Read
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Christopher R. Hoyt, professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Kansas City, Mo

If you are thinking about naming a trust with a charitable beneficiary as the recipient of some of your retirement assets, here is a word of advice: Don't! With the important exception of a charitable remainder trust (CRT), such a trust can pose problems for the mandatory payouts from the retirement account as well as challenges for claiming charitable income tax deductions for the charitable gifts made by the trust. If a person would like to make a charitable bequest of some retirement assets, the best way to accomplish that is to name the charity as a beneficiary of the retirement account on the beneficiary designation form provided by the ...

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About the Author

Christopher R. Hoyt

Professor of Law, University of Missouri

Christopher R. Hoyt, JD is a Professor of Law at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law where he teaches courses in the area of federal income taxation and business organizations.  Previously, he was with the law firm of Spencer, Fane, Britt & Browne in Kansas City, Missouri.  He received an undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University and he received dual law and accounting degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Professor Hoyt has served as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Charitable Organizations (Section of Trusts and Estates) and is on the editorial board of Trusts and Estates magazine. He is an ACTEC fellow, has been designated by his peers as a “Best Lawyer”, and was elected to the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.  He is a frequent speaker at legal and educational programs and has been quoted in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, MONEY Magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post