Charitable Giving in West Valley, Utah

Find the right Charitable Giving attorney in West Valley, UT

In West Valley, Utah, charitable giving is simply the act of donating money or property to a charitable cause, without the expectation of direct compensation. This is typically done for selfless reasons.

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

What if, however, you want to give all or most of your assets to a charity, to really make a big difference? This is frequently not practical while the donor is alive, since they presumably have expenses, and want to maintain for themselves the lifestyle to which they're accustomed. Luckily, there are a few arrangements authorizing you to have your assets transferred to a charity after your death.

There are many ways you can donate some or all of your property or money to a charity after your death, if you wish to do so. Direct testamentary gifts are the most common and the most simple way to accomplish this. A testamentary gift simply entails donating the money or property directly to the charity, through a provision in your will.

Charitable Trusts in West Valley, Utah

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

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 usually only permitted to use the money to advance their organization's charitable mission.

If a person decides to set up a charitable trust in West Valley, Utah, they typically 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 (typically 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.

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 West Valley, Utah Attorney?

Making a substantial charitable donation is a generous and admirable act. Nonetheless, good intentions don't always lead to good results. To guarantee that your donation has the most positive impact possible, you should discuss the matter in detail with representatives of the organization(s) you want to donate to. It might be advantageous to have a West Valley, Utah lawyer handle these negotiations on your behalf, since they will likely understand the legal and financial complexities involved.

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

Life in West Valley

West Valley, Utah is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah. It has a population of about 130,000 people, and is a suburb of Salt Lake City, the largest city in Utah, and the state capital.

West Valley, Utah is largely a bedroom community, meaning it is a residential area, populated in large part by professionals, such as lawyers, who commute to Salt Lake City for their jobs.

The area around West Valley, Utah is one of the fastest-growing (both in terms of population and economy) areas in the United States. For this reason, people are coming from all over the country to West Valley, Utah to pursue careers as doctors, accountants, business executives, lawyers, etc.

So, there are a very large number of lawyers in West Valley, Utah with very sophisticated practices. If you live in West Valley, and are in need of a good attorney, chances are there's a good West Valley, Utah lawyer who can help you with your legal issue.

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