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Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust

You may be looking for a way to receive fixed income for life or a number of years. You may be concerned about the high cost of capital gains tax with the sale of an appreciated asset. Perhaps you recently sold property and are looking for a way to save on taxes and plan for retirement. A charitable remainder annuity trust may offer the solutions you need.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
Stock or Cash
Annuity Trust
Donor
Charity image

Benefits of a charitable remainder annuity trust

  • Receive fixed income for life or a term of up to 20 years
  • Avoid capital gains tax on the sale of your appreciated assets
  • Receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the charitable remainder portion of your gift to Western Seminary

How a charitable remainder annuity trust works

  1. You transfer cash or assets to fund a charitable remainder annuity trust.
  2. In the case of a trust funded with appreciated assets, the trust will then sell the assets tax-free.
  3. The trust is invested to pay fixed income to you or any other trust beneficiaries you select based on a life, lives or a term of up to 20 years.
  4. You receive an income tax deduction in the year you transfer assets to the trust.
  5. Our organization benefits from what remains in the trust after all the trust payments have been made.

More on charitable remainder annuity trusts

If you are tired of the fluctuating stock market and want to receive fixed payments, a charitable remainder annuity trust may provide you with the stability you desire. A charitable remainder annuity trust pays a fixed amount each year based on the value of the property at the time the trust is funded.

Contact us

If you have any questions about charitable remainder annuity trusts, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have.

Example Stories

Tax-Free Sale

Howard and Lynn were both age 55 when they purchased some vacant land a few miles outside of town. They thought real estate would be a good investment that could be sold later for a profit.

Over the years, development from town has moved toward the property, and their land is now next to a large commercial store. Howard and Lynn rent the property to the commercial store, which uses the property for overflow parking.

Howard: The property had been a good investment. We owned it for over 15 years. The rental income had been enough the last few years to pay the property taxes, but we wanted to sell.

Lynn: We told our tax advisor that we were starting to think about selling the land. He told us that if we sold, we would have to pay capital gains tax. We were concerned about this until he explained how a charitable remainder unitrust could help us avoid the tax.

Howard: By transferring the land to the trust, we saved $36,000 in capital gains tax and received a charitable income tax deduction that reduced our income taxes by $18,000. That is over $54,000 in total tax savings! We were delighted with the tax benefits of the unitrust.

Lynn: The trust was able to sell the land and reinvest the sales proceeds. The trust pays us income from its investments. We had very little income from the land before, but now we receive nearly $12,000 from the trust each year! This increased income is one of my favorite parts of the trust plan.

Capital Gains Tax Bypassed

Peter and Gail were nearing retirement. Over the years, with the help of their financial advisor, they made solid investments in securities and built a sizable portfolio. While their investments increased substantially in value, their potential capital gains tax bill was rising. Now with retirement on the horizon, they were looking for a way to sell their highly appreciated stock, generate income for their future and avoid paying high capital gains tax.

Peter: For many years we had supported the work of our favorite charity. The charity sent us an e-mail that explained how we could make a gift of appreciated stock to charity while bypassing potential capital gains taxes. I was thrilled to learn that after we transferred our portfolio to a charitable remainder trust, the trust would sell the stock tax-free.

Gail: I liked the fact that the trust would provide us with income for our retirement years. If something happened to Peter, I would still be taken care of for the remainder of my life.

Peter and Gail decided to make a gift of their appreciated stock to establish a charitable remainder unitrust. They were thrilled at the prospect of creating future income while bypassing capital gains tax.

Peter: When I heard that in addition to the other benefits, we would receive a charitable deduction for our gift, it was just icing on the cake! I wondered why everyone nearing retirement doesn't set up a charitable trust.

Is a tax-free sale from a charitable remainder unitrust right for you?

If you own highly appreciated property, such as real estate or stocks, you could benefit from a charitable remainder unitrust. The trust will help you bypass capital gains, will provide you with a charitable income tax deduction in the year of the gift and could increase your income.

If you have questions about the benefits of a charitable remainder unitrust, please contact us. We would be happy to work with you and answer any questions that you have.

*Please note: The names and image above are representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your unitrust benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view an example of your benefits.

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