In Norristown, Pennsylvania, "charitable giving" refers to the act of giving money or property, for selfless motives. It necessarily means that the donor does not plan on receiving any direct compensation for whatever they have given.
The easiest way to make a charitable gift is to just give the money or property directly to the organization you want to help.
Some people, however, may be particularly dedicated to a certain cause, giving rise to a desire to donate a very large percentage of their assets to it. However, during life, this is typically infeasible, since people have their own expenses that they have to cover. Therefore, people often put off this donation until after their death.
There are many arrangements permitting 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 frequent.
Charitable Trusts in Norristown, Pennsylvania
Charitable trusts are arrangements that involve handing possession (but not generally 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 first appointed the trust.
The most frequent type of charitable trust in Norristown, Pennsylvania 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.
Wanting to help a charitable cause is, of course, a good thing. However, 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 really used for a charitable cause, and that your donation will be tax-deductible, you should check to see that the organization is really tax-exempt. You can find this information from the IRS and/or the agency responsible for taxation in
Do I Need a Norristown, Pennsylvania 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 accomplished attorney in Norristown, Pennsylvania, who will be able to help you navigate the legal details, making it easier to give effect to your intentions.
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