Apples and oranges: Lifetime and legacy giving with IRAs
Retirement assets are becoming an increasingly important part of charitable planning. Americans hold more than $50 trillion in retirement accounts, nearly $20 trillion of which are held in IRAs. Meanwhile, the Great Wealth Transfer is underway, with more than $120 trillion expected to change hands over the coming decades.
Year-end checklist: Repeat, repeat, repeat
It’s October, and year-end planning is already well underway. You’ve likely begun talking with clients about tax deadlines and the important loose ends to tie up before 2027 arrives. Still, some reminders are worth repeating, especially during a busy season when clients are juggling priorities of their own.
Reading roundup: What’s worth a skim in charitable planning
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, our team keeps an eye on trends, ideas, and developments in charitable planning that may be useful as you work with your clients. This month, we’ve gathered nine articles that offer timely perspectives on everything from donor-advised funds and business exits to complex assets, QCDs, and changing approaches to philanthropy.
Estate planning: Go beyond the thirteen magic words
In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution supporting the designation of National Estate Planning Awareness Week, observed each October. You’ve likely heard of this, and you may know that October 19 through 25 is the week in 2026. Chances are, though, you’ve not recently (or ever) looked at the actual resolution. The preamble outlines several reasons why estate planning deserves this annual spotlight.
A quick note about pending legislation
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, we appreciate the important role attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors play in helping clients age 70 ½ and older take advantage of Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from traditional IRAs. Your client can direct a QCD to a designated fund, field-of-interest fund, scholarship fund, or unrestricted fund at the Foundation, or […]
Moving from charitable transactions to charitable strategy
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, our team keeps an eye out for helpful sources and reading material to help you stay current on trends and techniques for advising your charitable clients.
Four recent articles reinforce a common point: the most effective charitable planning rarely happens in response to a single tax event. Instead, it grows out of ongoing conversations about a client’s values, family, financial goals, and legacy.
Bunching charitable gifts, year-end, and getting ahead
For many attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, the last weeks of summer mark the beginning of year-end planning season. As clients return from vacations and turn their attention to tax and financial planning, it’s an ideal time to revisit charitable giving strategies that can help clients achieve their 2026 planning objectives.
Highs and lows: Reminding clients about stock gifts
As an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor, you’re well aware that your clients are typically better off from a tax perspective if they donate to charity by giving appreciated stock held for more than one year instead of writing a check. That’s because the client’s charitable deduction is calculated based on the stock’s fair market value, and the charity (unlike your client) can sell the stock without triggering capital gains tax. Indeed, many of your clients regularly give appreciated stock to their donor-advised funds at the Lenawee Community Foundation.
Business succession planning: Four questions and one word of caution
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, we work with a wide range of individuals, families, and businesses for whom charitable giving is a priority, especially those who want to support causes in our community that improve the quality of life for everyone. In many cases, we’re helping business owners structure their personal and family philanthropy. A natural extension of that work is to explore ways a business owner’s succession plan can incorporate gifts to favorite charities and causes. Some attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors are surprised to learn how many charitable planning options may be available in connection with a business succession event. Our team is here to help.
IPOs and charitable clients: Three scenarios for impact
If you keep an eye on initial public offerings, it’s been an exciting few weeks, especially if your clients are involved. As you work with clients who may hold stock that’s going public, or if your clients are considering investing in companies involved in IPOs, be sure to look at all angles of the client’s financial and estate plan that may be impacted—including charitable planning.