Getting creative: Unusual noncash assets can make great gifts to charity
If you’re like many advisors, you may have discovered that often charitable giving conversations begin (and end!) with cash or appreciated stock. And of course, you understand appreciated stock is an excellent choice for your clients to fund a donor-advised or other type of fund at the Lenawee Community Foundation because it may avoid capital gains tax while also possibly triggering eligibility for a charitable deduction at fair market value.
Calling it Splits: What Happens to Charitable Assets in a Divorce?
As you work with charitable clients over the course of your career, you’ll likely help dozens of married couples establish donor-advised funds and other types of funds at the Lenawee Community Foundation, structure charitable gifts in wills and trusts, establish charitable remainder trusts, and everything in between.
Case study: Charitable giving in a down market
As you guide clients through ongoing market uncertainty, you may be noticing that conversations are becoming as much about perspective as performance metrics. While headlines may or may not ultimately signal a prolonged downturn, the mere possibility of a bear market can influence how clients think about everything from retirement timelines to charitable giving. As an advisor, you have an opportunity to help clients stay grounded and intentional, even when emotions are running high.
Serving charitable clients: Dual strategies emerge
As tax laws and market dynamics continue to shift, it is important for attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors to be aware of two increasingly distinct groups of donors. On one hand, the high federal estate tax exemption and new restrictions on itemizing charitable deductions are creating unique needs for your clients whose assets exceed $30 million. On the other hand, the new charitable deduction for non-itemizers offers an entry point and incentive for your clients who are just starting out in their careers or still building wealth.
Documentation is no joke and coffee is not milk: Two important tax rulings
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, we value the role you play in helping individuals and families make the most of their charitable giving. That’s why we’re committed to providing regular updates on legal and policy developments that may impact your clients.
Women and philanthropy: Four insights to inform your practice
At the Lenawee Community Foundation, we’re honored to work with hundreds of individuals, families, and businesses who support a wide range of charitable causes. The generosity and commitment across generations and demographics inspire our team every single day.
Sudden life changes: Charitable giving can help clients get through it
As an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor, you are no stranger to witnessing the ripple effects of life’s unexpected curveballs. If you represent a client over many years, you’re very likely at some point to help the client through a serious illness, a loved one’s death, business challenges, marital dissolution, strained relationships with children, or […]
Postmarks, rule changes, and remedies for clients’ 2025 charitable gifts
If you were surprised to read about the ripple effect of a seemingly small change in the U.S. Postal Service regulations late last year, you were not alone! Here’s what you need to know, including potential remedies for your clients whose 2025 charitable deductions may be impacted by the rule change. What’s the background with […]
What’s New in the Numbers: A Checklist for Charitable Tax Rules in 2026
Well before 2025 made way for 2026, you were no doubt already tracking the various IRS thresholds that are subject to adjustment, as well as the new tax laws’ impact on planning techniques. But have you thought about how each of these thresholds might relate to your clients’ charitable giving? Here are pointers to keep […]
Keep Going: Why Donor-Advised Funds are Still Essential
For many CPAs, estate planning attorneys, and financial advisors, the end of 2025 brought a whirlwind of charitable planning activity among high-earner clients. That’s because many taxpayers wanted to maximize the tax benefits of their charitable donations before the 0.5% “floor” and 35% “cap” on charitable deductions kicked in on January 1, 2026 under new […]