In Ridgeland, Mississippi, charitable giving is when a person donates something to an organization or individual, without consideration (getting something directly in return). This is for the purpose of advancing some type of cause, helping people in need, or any other altruistic motive.

In life, charitable giving normally simply involves writing a check or handing cash over to the charitable organization of the donor's choice.

Some generous donors will sometimes give virtually everything they own to charity. This is a wonderful thing to do, but it's not really practical - after all, just about everyone has bills to pay. One solution to this is to put off such a generous donation until after death. This allows the donor to meet their obligations during life, while having the satisfaction of knowing that a cause they care about will be given a large amount of assistance after their death.

There are many ways to give a charitable gift that does not take effect until after the donor dies. The easiest and least complicated way to do this is a simple testamentary gift in a will - wherein a particular amount of the donor's money is transferred to the charity upon the donor's death.

Charitable Trusts in Ridgeland, Mississippi

A charitable trust is an arrangement by which a large amount of money can be given to a charity after the death of the donor, or during the donor's life.

The money is still technically owned by the donor, but the charity, serving as a trustee, has the right to use it for charitable purposes, with the exact scope of this right having been laid out in the trust agreement.

If a person decides to set up a charitable trust in Ridgeland, Mississippi, they normally set up a "charitable remainder trust," since this is usually beneficial to both the donor (or their estate) as well as the charity. The operation of this type of trust is fairly simple: at a set time (normally the donor's death) the property that the donor wants to give to the charity is handed over, and the charity invests it. The charity benefits by getting to keep most of the money that these investments generate. The donor benefits because they also get a percentage of this income, for a period of time laid out in the trust agreement. Afterwards, the recipient of the donation gets it free and clear.

Obviously, if you want to help a good cause, you want to make sure that any charity you donate to is legitimate. Sadly, there are quite a few fraudulent charities out there. The best way to do this is to check and make sure that the charity is registered as a tax-exempt organization with the IRS, and the tax authorities in

Do I Need a Ridgeland, Mississippi Attorney?

If you wish to set up a charitable trust, you should consult with the organization directly. They commonly know the easiest way to direct any charitable giving to their organization. You should also speak with a brilliant trusts and estates attorney in Ridgeland, Mississippi, who can help ensure that your intentions are carried out.