In this article from Leimberg Information Services, New York attorney Conrad Teitell is ringing an alarm bell about a major charitable deduction benefit that may be lost thanks to a few greedy tax promoters, donors, and complicit charities who are conspiring to grossly inflate the value of charitable gifts, conceal key elements from the IRS, and avoid the Form 8282 "tattletale" rule.  MORE »

The Land Trust Alliance has proposed a voluntary accreditation program and a program of training and technical assistance to ensure the credibility of land trusts, which have been criticized by the IRS and Congress because of improper tax breaks for donations of conservation easements.  MORE »

A postmortem qualified conservation easement yields significant tax savings, and can provide a lasting legacy for the decedent and his heirs. In this article, Rhode Island attorney Robert G. Petix, Jr. analyzes the rules applicable to such easements, and shows planners how they can take a "second bite of the apple."  MORE »

Contributions of real property represent one of the most complicated yet rewarding opportunities in charitable gift planning. This discussion reviews various types of real property, how it is owned, income tax considerations regarding transfers to charity, factors limiting transfer, and its compatibility with various types of split interest gift planning vehicles.  MORE »

What happens after the kids have flown the coop and Mom and Dad are left with a large home and an even larger potential capital gains tax on sale? In this article, PGDC Editor-in-Chief Marc D. Hoffman reviews the capital gains tax rules that accompany sales of principal residences and how charitable planning techniques can be blended seamlessly to create a win-win result for the charitably inclined. The original version of this article appeared in the October/November 2002 issue of the Journal of Practical Estate Planning and was presented by the author at the 2002 National Conference on Planned Giving.  MORE »

It has been said that one should always look a "gift-house" in the mouth … well, something like that. In this edition of Gift Planner's Digest, Laura H. Peebles from the national office of Deloitte & Touche reviews the tax issues that surround charitable gifts of debt-encumbered property.  MORE »

On October 22, 1999, the PGDC published a yet-to-be-released private letter ruling involving the use of a partnership and a REIT to facilitate transfers of debt-encumbered property to charitable remainder trusts. In this edition of Planned Giving Online, PGDC editors review this new strategy in greater detail, explore the two issues left open in the ruling, and provide a summary of the ruling prepared by the ruling sponsor's legal counsel.  MORE »

What category of asset is located on 945,000,000 acres throughout the United States with an estimated value of $687,432,000,000? In this edition of Gift Planner's Digest, University of Idaho Director of Gift Planning, Ed McBride offers some helpful tips on dealing with charitable gifts of farmland and why not-for-profit organizations should have a policy in place for accepting and retaining such gifts.  MORE »

Studies show that over 30 percent of the assets of wealthy individuals are comprised of real property. In this edition of Gift Planner's Digest, Dr. Bruce Bigelow reviews the many opportunities that exist for charitable gifts of real estate, and how planned giving professionals and professional advisors can work together to complete them.  MORE »