During times of rapid change, both donors and the charities they support are searching for certainty. Despite Benjamin Franklin’s assurance that “in this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes,” planned gifts can provide a degree of much needed certainty for an organization’s fund-raising programs. While current events may or may not have impact …Read More

Gift planners often use the terms “bequest,” “legacy,” “expectancy,” and “deferred gift” interchangeably in efforts to describe a broad range of planned gift activity. Popular usage among fundraisers and others has broadened the meaning of these terms considerably beyond their original legal definitions. When is a “bequest” a “bequest”? Technically, a bequest or legacy refers …Read More

Before his retirement in 1988, Frank P. Wendt served as chairman of John Nuveen & Company, one of the world’s largest creators of tax-free investment opportunities. As a current trustee of a number of charitable organizations, Mr. Wendt, who currently resides with his wife in Southport, Connecticut, brings his for-profit experience to the nonprofit world. …Read More