As reported in the February and March issues of Give & Take this year, there are new IRS regulations regarding “flip trusts.” Under the terms of a flip trust, a net income unitrust can “flip” and become a straight rate payout unitrust. The new IRS regulations now allow this flip to occur in the year …Read More

Big giving, the Gates way This February Microsoft CEO Bill Gates made the largest charitable gift ever–$3.35 billion. The money was given to his two charitable foundations, the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. Gates has been criticized by some for not sharing enough of his wealth with philanthropic causes. With this …Read More

Gift annuities are supposed to be relatively simple arrangements, and for the most part they are. But complexities can arise when a gift annuity is funded with stock. One of the complexities involves the question of when the donor’s gift is complete. The answer to this question may have multiple tax consequences for the donor. …Read More

Editor’s Note: Occasionally in Give & Take we reprint articles from the past that are often requested by readers. The following is an updated version of an article that appeared in the March 1994 issue of Give & Take. Over the years we have seen response rates from various gift planning mailing approaches that range …Read More