Bah, humbug. The latest study of charitable giving among America’s high-net-worth households shows a marked decline in generosity. The 2010 Bank of America Merrill Lynch report says that households averaged donations in 2009 of $54,000, down 34.9...
As advisors and their clients are waking up to potential tax rate increases in 2011 or 2012, they're reconsidering a number of tax deferral strategies. One strategy being reconsidered is the use of charitable remainder trusts (CRTs). For those...
As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For those charitably inclined, it will be more important than ever this season to understand that the choice of what to give and when to give it may determine how much they can afford...
We all have clients who feel they've fully provided for their descendants and loved ones financially, so their remaining estate-planning objectives are purely philanthropic. The end-of-life estate plans for those clients become very simple make a...
Bill and Melinda Gates do it. Bill Clinton does it. Bono does it. And thanks to the Internet, the Average Joe can do it. What is it, you ask? It's the new rage in philanthropy. And although it's called by many names including engaged philanthropy...
Recent world events have brought new attention to the need for effective cross-border philanthropy. Whether concerned with immediate response to disasters or long-term development needs, U.S.-based donors are moved to help. Their advisors are...
In business transactions, each party generally seeks to maximize his advantage. But for charitable gifts, typically the donor and the charity have the same goal to best further the charity's mission. Nevertheless, donors want their directions for...
For higher-net-worth clients who are likely to owe federal estate taxes at death, making taxable gifts in 2010 may be a viable planning opportunity. That’s even if future legislation increases the estate tax exemption to proposed levels of ...
Second Circuit vacates Tax Court's determination on inclusion of transferred interest in real estate under IRC Section 2036 In Estate of Stewart v. Commissioner, No. 07-5370, (2d. Cir. Aug. 9, 2010), the majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
Second Circuit vacates Tax Court's determination on inclusion of transferred interest in real estate under IRC Section 2036 In Estate of Stewart v. Commissioner, No. 07-5370, (2d. Cir. Aug. 9, 2010), the majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for...