Charitable Giving in Fort Collins, Colorado

Find the right Charitable Giving attorney in Fort Collins, CO

Charitable giving in Fort Collins, Colorado is the donating of money or some other asset to a charitable cause.

The vast majority of charitable gifts are made using the most simple method feasible: giving the gift to the intended beneficiary.

What if, on the other hand, a donor wishes to give everything they own (or a substantial chunk of everything they own) to a charity? This is quite generous, of course, but it's rarely possible during life, considering the expenses and commitments we all have. On the other hand, most people don't think they'll be needing their money after they die. Knowing this, many arrangements have been created authorizing a person to have as much of their money as they want transferred to a charity of their choice after their death.

There are many arrangements authorizing you to donate some or all of your assets to a charitable cause after your death, but direct testamentary gifts (simply leaving money in your will to the charity of your choice) are the most prevalent.

Charitable Trusts in Fort Collins, Colorado

Charitable trusts are arrangements that involve handing possession (but not always ownership) of money or property over to a charity, either during the donor's life, or after their death.

While the money, for a time at least, is still technically owned by the donor, it is possessed and controlled by the charity, which acts as a trustee. The trustee is then able to use the money for the charitable purposes which have been laid out in the agreement that initially formed the trust.

The most customary kind of charitable trust in Fort Collins, Colorado is a charitable remainder trust. This permits you to give as much money or property as you want to a charity. The money is then invested by the charity. The investments are typically fairly conservative, sacrificing large returns for security. The charity then returns a portion of these returns to the donor, or another person named by the donor, while keeping the rest. This lasts for a set period of time, at the end of which the charity gets complete ownership of the original fund.

Wanting to help a charitable cause is, of course, a good thing. Nonetheless, some people seek to take advantage of our good intentions through fraudulent charities. If you want to help ensure that any money you donate to an organization is directly used for a charitable cause, and that your donation will be tax-deductible, you should check to see that the organization is truly tax-exempt. You can find this information from the IRS and/or the agency accountable for taxation in

Do I Need a Fort Collins, Colorado Attorney?

If you want to set up a charitable trust, you should first speak with a representative of the charity you want to support. You should also talk with an efficient attorney in Fort Collins, Colorado, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Fort Collins

Fort Collins is a medium-sized city. It is a home-rule municipality, meaning that it is not part of any county, and the state of Colorado has delegated some of its authority to the city, which the city can exercise within its own borders. It has a population of about 137,000. Fort Collins is generally known as a college town, being home to Colorado State University. The city of Fort Collins frequently ranks near the top of Money Magazine's list of best places in the U.S. to live. Because of the large college-aged demographic, Fort Collins has a thriving music and art scene, as well as a large number of well-regarded microbreweries. Fort Collins has a healthy and diverse economy, with major employers such as Colorado State University, Hewlett Packard, AMD, Wal-Mart, and many others providing thousands of public and private-sector jobs, in a wide variety of fields. Given its size, diversity, and vitality, it should come as no surprise that, with all the business that's done in Fort Collins, there are sometimes legal issues. For that reason, it shouldn't be a surprise that there are many Fort Collins, Colorado lawyers who are very skilled. If you're facing a legal issue, a Fort Collins, Colorado lawyer can help.

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