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Gift and Estate Planning

In addition to outright gifts by check, credit or stock, today’s donors are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about ways to give that provide current income for themselves – through yields from trusts, for instance – and substantial tax advantages while at the same time providing financial benefits for their spouse or children and, of course, supporting the Civil War Preservation Trust. Everyone can be a “smart giver” no matter their financial situation.

These methods of giving sometimes that we like to call “smart giving” range from varying degrees of sophistication and complexity. A simple bequest leaving all or a portion of your estate can safeguard your money from going to the government through estate taxes. On the other hand, some donors are using a combination of insurance, trusts, gifts of tangible personal property like securities, vacation properties, land and art, either through lifetime arrangements or bequests or both can realize current income for themselves, reduce or eliminate state taxes, avoid capital gains and provide enduring benefits for their spouse or children while gaining the satisfaction of giving a substantial gift to a charity.

We at CWPT are interested in those donors who give from the heart, believe passionately in our cause to save Civil War battlefields and to preserve American heritage and history through education.

We are happy to suggest smart giving ideas for you depending on your circumstances because even your gift from the heart deserves a tax and personal reward.

Before embarking on sophisticated giving arrangements through planned giving, we urge you to become familiar with the federal income tax regulations on charitable deductions and consult with your financial advisors.

Definition of Smart Giving

A smart gift is one that requires knowledge and personal participation by you. The level of your participation can be simple or complex, modest or complex. A smart gift can be immediate, extend over time, or be realized in the future – or all of the above. Smart gifts become smart when they involve thought, tax advantages, possible reduction in capital gains, and benefit you, your family and your charity to the fullest extent possible.

Benefits of a Smart Gift

Durability is the idea of creating a perpetual stream of financial support that helps to support the mission of preservation and education.

Positive Legacies create an enduring bequest that will outlive the giver and influence succeeding generations. Grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as well as other family members and friends will be reminded of the person’s values and commitment. It can also be used to honor the lives of others who have made a significant impact on the donor.

Perpetual Annual Gifts are a tool that can be utilized to in your estate plans to create a gift that keeps giving year after year.

Making a Stronger CWPT by helping to raise a certain number of dollars to meet operational costs to sustain facilities, stewardship of hallowed ground, education programs and personnel. Fundraising for the “here and now” is always a priority for CWPT. Annual gifts can assist in relieving some of the financial pressures and permits the board and executive team to plan more confidently for the future which in turn makes the organization more stable.

Personal Satisfaction …. It gives you the wonderful feeling of doing something good that lasts, something that really makes a difference to our history and to future generations that follow ours. Benefiting others for years to come is truly satisfying and lights the path of others … while brightening your own.

Below is a list of smart giving arrangements that today’s donor are using. A brief description of these arrangements

Types of Smart Gifts

1. Will bequests enable you to provide CWPT the opportunity to accomplish their mission into the future and create a “living legacy”. You can donate a specific dollar amount, personal property, real estate, a percentage of your estate’s value, or a part of the remainder of your estate.

2. CWPT offers several ways for you to provide for the future of Civil War battlefield preservation and the education of the public and meet your own personal financial goals at the same time. The most popular are charitable remainder trusts which include charitable remainder annuity trusts, charitable remainder unitrust and charitable lead trusts.

3. You can designate CWPT as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Premiums on such policies may be tax deductible. Retirement plans are also an opportunity to make a donation and save your estate income taxes by naming CWPT the beneficiary.

4. Stocks/Bonds and Securities: Donating stocks/bonds and appreciated securities is an excellent tax strategy for charitable giving. You can make a valuable gift to CWPT by donating stocks/bonds and appreciated securities and enjoy significant tax savings at the same time. You can receive an income tax charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the stocks/bonds or securities and avoid all or part of you capital gains tax. Your broker may transfer stocks/bonds or securities directly to CWPT.

To learn more about our Gift and Estate Planning programs and the options available to you, please contact Linda Korb at 202-367-1861 ext 219 or email at lkorb@civilwar.org.

The Civil War Preservation Trust is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. The federal ID number is 54-1426643

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as legal advice. For legal advice, please consult an attorney or financial consultant. References to estate and income tax include federal taxes only; individual state taxes vary and may have further impact on results.