What is a Bequest?
A charitable bequest is a direct gift made through one’s estate. It’s what people often mean when they talk about leaving money to heirs–or inheriting assets from a loved one. Bequests are one of the most common ways to make a legacy charitable donation, so it’s good to understand them, whether you’re making one in your own legacy plan or talking to donors on behalf of a nonprofit.
What Is Your Net Worth?
Our clients are often shocked–in a good way–when we tally up their assets and estimate the value of their estate. When making legacy planning-related financial decisions, this is step one. Here’s how to figure out your number!
How to Fund a Trust
Trusts are essential to legacy planning, yet they can be complex. That’s probably why trust-related questions are some of the most common we get from our clients: what are they, how do they work, and how are they funded?
Pros and Cons of a Charitable Trust
Charitable trusts are so powerful, we sometimes call them “give it twice” trusts. But while they mean a huge gift to charity and a tax-efficient income stream to loved ones (or you!), they’re not without some caveats.
4 Tips for Storing and Sharing Your Digital Assets
As legacy planners, we get a lot of questions about how to store important documents, photos, and other digital assets for the long haul…and how to securely share them with […]
Including Pets in Your Legacy Plan
If you have a pet, I’m sure you’ve made plans for their care at some point. Maybe you were taking a vacation or had a busy workday and just wanted to ensure they were properly taken care of. Most of us don’t bat an eyelash at these forward-thinking plans for our furry friends, but we often forget about ensuring their long-term care in case something happens to us.
7 Charitable Giving Tools (And Who Should Consider Them)
Our focus is on legacy planning…but we’re always helping donors identify the most effective ways to give charitably–starting now! There are CRUTs and CRATs and DAFs and ILITs and QCDs, and while we’ve just scratched the surface of the many charitable giving tools out there, all the acronyms can seem like alphabet soup. If you’re just wanting an overview, here’s a crash course on the most common giving vehicles…and when they might be a good fit.
7 Questions to Ask a Nonprofit Before Making a Major Gift
Before clients make their charitable intentions official, we encourage them to do a little research on and ask a few questions about the organizations they want to remember with a bequest or other planned gift.
Thinking Beyond the Checkbook: Consider Non-Cash Gifting Strategies
As a gift strategist at WaterStone, Stephanie Hoff helps donors envision creative and tax-efficient ways to make a difference for their favorite causes. We send some donors her way after […]
3 Foundational Questions to Ask Before You Start a Legacy Plan
“Uffdah: it’s a common refrain in our house,” says Apex CEO Christy Boysen. She can rattle off, in detail, the family traditions that are non-negotiable on her calendar: lefse-making and […]