In Shiawassee County, Michigan, "charitable giving" involves giving money or property to an individual or organization, expecting nothing directly in return.

Most charitable donors, while they're alive, give their gifts in the simplest way feasible: handing the money or property they wish to donate over to the person or group they want to assist.

Some people want to give a larger percentage of their assets to a charitable organization than would be feasible during life, so they implement some type of arrangement under which the money will be transferred upon the donor's death.

If you decide to make a sizable donation to a charity that will not really occur until after your death, the easiest (and most largely-used) method is to simply leave the desired amount of money or property to the charitable organization in your will.

Charitable Trusts in Shiawassee County, Michigan

Legal arrangements recognized as "charitable trusts" are also utilized to give large amounts of money to charity. It can be used to make the gift quickly, or it can be set to take effect after the donor's death.

In a charitable trust, the property is still technically owned by the donor, but the recipient retains possession and control over it. As the trustee, the charity is free to use the money for any purpose laid out in the trust agreement. With a charitable trust, trustees are typically only authorized to use the money to advance their organization's charitable mission.

The most frequent type of charitable trust in Shiawassee County, Michigan is a charitable remainder trust. Under this arrangement, you give a particular amount of money or property to a charity. The charity then invests this money, giving you or a named beneficiary a portion of the income generated from these investments for a set amount of time. Once this expires, the money that was initially invested goes to the charity, free and clear.

If you wish to set up a charitable trust in you should check with the IRS and equivalent state agencies to confirm that the charity you want to help is registered with them. This will help make sure that your money is utilized for a good cause (and not to line somebody's pockets) and that your contribution will be tax-deductible.

Do I Need a Shiawassee County, Michigan Attorney?

If you want to create a charitable trust, you should first talk with someone in charge of the charitable organization you wish to help. They will be able to assist you in setting up the trust, or advise you of their preferred method of donation. This will help you confirm that your donation is as effective in helping the charity as it can possibly be. It is also a good idea to speak with a Shiawassee County, Michigan attorney, who can help iron out the more technical details.