Charitable Gift Planning

Couch White’s Trusts & Estates attorneys provide a depth of experience and expertise in helping individuals, families and business owners strengthen their communities, alma maters, hospitals and research centers, the natural world, the arts and other charitable causes with regional, national and international beneficiaries. Many times there are significant tax savings associated with these charitable gifts. With every gift, the donor realizes that being generous is one of life’s best experiences.

The Firm’s representative experience includes:

• Assisted a couple in selecting the most appropriate $1,000,000 of their assets to make their 50th college reunion gift; applied for corporate matching funds and reunion matching funds to increase their total gift to $1,350,000.
• Represented founders of a community foundation that offers Donor Advised Funds.
• Assisted a couple in establishing a charitable remainder trust to receive and then sell a camp whose value was highly appreciated which minimized realization of the long-term capital gains and additional lifetime income for the couple.
• Assisted individuals in using cash accounts to create charitable gift annuities to significantly increase their lifetime income.  After the donor’s death, these gift annuities  paid out to charities that helped the donor’s mother and, in another instance, to a community organization where another donor had volunteered for years.
• Assisted an individual in naming her community’s fire department and rescue squad as beneficiaries of her IRAs.
• Assisted business owners in gifting percentages of their business interests to a public charity prior to selling the business in order to reduce long term capital gains from the sale and direct a percentage of the proceeds to upgrade playgrounds and youth services in the communities where the business’ employees live.

We welcome the opportunity to help you make the most of your charitable intent.