Estate & Charitable Planning
Purposeful Philanthropy: Aligning Values with Legacy
For ultra-affluent families, charitable giving is often a cornerstone of their identity and a primary objective of their estate plan. Impactful giving requires a strategic framework that aligns your philanthropic vision with your broader financial goals. We help you navigate the complexities of charitable planning to help plan contributions that are as efficient as they are meaningful.
Strategies For Impactful Giving
Our approach involves evaluating a variety of sophisticated charitable vehicles, selecting those that best complement your unique tax situation and family goals.
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
A flexible, cost-effective way to manage your giving. By contributing to a DAF, you may receive an immediate tax deduction while retaining the ability to recommend grants to your favorite charities over time.
Charitable Remainder trusts (CRTs)
These vehicles allow you to provide a stream of income for yourself or your heirs for a specific term, with the remaining assets eventually passing to a designated charity. This can be a powerful tool for managing highly appreciated assets.
Private Foundations
For families seeking the highest level of control and the ability to involve multiple generations in active grant-making, we assist in coordinating the management of private foundations.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
For those over age 70½, QCDs offer a tax-efficient way to satisfy required minimum distributions by directing funds directly from an IRA to a qualified charity.
Donation Bunching
We analyze your annual cash flow and tax liability to determine if “bunching” multiple years of charitable contributions into a single tax year can help maximize your itemized deductions.
Integration with Your Broader Estate Plan
Charitable giving should never exist in a silo. We work alongside your tax and legal advisors to create a philanthropic strategy that supports, rather than competes with, your estate plan. By utilizing gift tax strategies and selecting the most appropriate assets for donation, such as closely held stock, real estate, or complex alternative investments, we aim to help minimize the tax friction of your generosity, allowing more of your wealth to reach the causes you care about.
A Legacy for Generations
A robust charitable plan provides a unique opportunity to instill family values in future generations. We help you establish the governance and mission statements that guide your family’s giving, creating a tradition of stewardship that can last for decades. Our role is to provide the initial structures and strategic adjustments necessary to keep your charitable vehicles effective and aligned with your evolving intent.