This year has been full of unexpected turns, both highs and lows, in the stock market. Despite its volatility, you may have investments that have accumulated significant unrealized capital gains, which could result in a hefty tax bill when sold.
Here are a few things to consider in order to pay less tax and give more to charities you care about.
Give appreciated securities before you sell them
By carrying out your regular giving using appreciated assets, you increase your giving capacity by trading current or future tax exposure for more charitable giving today. Instead of writing checks to charity, give appreciated securities to charity and send the cash to your investment portfolio instead. Then you can use the cash you would have given to the charity to replenish your investment account and rebalance your portfolio.
Give from your IRA
If you are 72 or older, have more than enough to live on when you retire, and want to give charitably, why not give it to charity now with a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA? Each year you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA directly to charity (or to an NCF Single-Charity Fund) without having to include that amount in your taxable income.
You can explore more about these strategies here, or reach out to your local NCF team. They’d be glad to come alongside you to help you think through a personalized plan for your giving.
