Bequest Gift

To make a bequest to Cottage Housing, Inc., the following language will be helpful to your lawyer:

I give, devise, and bequeath to Cottage Housing, Inc. the sum of _____________ (or otherwise describe the gift or specify a percentage of the estate).

There are three ways you can make a bequest:

  1. Specific Bequest: You designate a specific dollar amount, specific percentage, or specific property to Cottage Housing, Inc.
  2. Residual Bequest: Your estate will pay all debts, taxes, expenses, and specific bequests. The remaining amount -- the residual -- will be transferred to Cottage Housing, Inc.
  3. Contingent Bequest: You can ask that Cottage Housing, Inc. receive all or a portion of your estate only under certain circumstances. For example, you can name Cottage Housing, Inc. as a beneficiary of your estate only if there are no surviving close family members. Childless couples sometimes provide for the entire estate to go to the surviving spouse, or if the spouse does not survive, to Cottage Housing, Inc.

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

Life Income Gift

How do I establish a life income gift?

Family obligations and the need to provide for retirement, coupled with the high cost of living, make it difficult for many people to consider substantial charitable gift now. But there is a way to have the satisfaction of making a meaningful lifetime gift without sacrifice. In fact, you can get current income tax and financial benefits. It is called a life income gift. You irrevocably transfer some assets to Cottage Housing, Inc. now, and in return, you (and a survivor, if you wish) receive income life. As a result, the assets are used to carry out our mission.

By making a life income gift to Cottage Housing, Inc., you will receive the following benefits, in addition to the pleasure of knowing the good work your gift will do:

  • A charitable deduction in the year you make the gift for the present value of our right to eventually receive the assets.
  • Your effective yield is increased by substantial income tax savings.
  • Income can be taxed more favorably in some plans.
  • You unburden yourself of investment concerns.
  • Your probate and estate administration costs may be reduced.

What are examples of life income plans?

  • Charitable Gift Annuity
  • Joint and Survivor Annuities
  • Charitable Remainder Trust
  • Unitrust
  • Annuity
  • Pooled Income Fund

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

Charitable Gift Annuity

The charitable gift annuity enables you to make a gift to support Cottage Housing, Inc. and at the same time improve the quality of life for your family. In exchange for your gift of cash or marketable securities to Cottage Housing, Inc., we agree to pay you (and a survivor or other beneficiary) a fixed amount annually for your lifetime. The transfer is part gift and part purchase of an annuity. The rate of return is attractive and the payments are guaranteed for life.

Cottage Housing, Inc. uses the charitable gift annuity rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities. The following are rates for a single-life charitable gift annuity:

Age Rate   Age Rate
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63-64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
6.1%
6.2%
6.3%
6.4%
6.5%
6.6%
6.7%
6.8%
6.9%
7.0%
7.1%
7.2%
7.3%
7.4%
7.5%
7.6%
7.7%
  73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81-82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90+
7.8%
8.0%
8.2%
8.3%
8.5%
8.7%
9.0%
9.2%
9.6%
9.9%
10.2%
10.5%
10.8%
11.1%
11.4%
11.7%
12.0%

For example, Miss Anderson, age 75, transfers $10,000 to Cottage Housing, Inc. for a gift annuity. She will receive a guaranteed annual income of $820 ($10,000 x 8.2% -- the annuity rate for her age).

Joint and Survivor Annuities

Gift annuities can be arranged to make payments for the lifetimes of two people, such as a husband and wife, brothers and sisters, parents and children or close friends. The rates for two lives are less than rates for one life because the period of payment may be longer. The following chart shows some sample rates based on two lives:

Age Rate
65/60
65/65
70/65
70/70
75/70
75/75
80/75
80/80
85/80
85/85
90/85
90/90
6.4%
6.6%
6.7%
6.8%
7.0%
7.3%
7.5%
8.0%
8.4%
9.0%
9.6%
10.6%

Two-life gift annuities also provide charitable deductions and payments to the recipients that are partly tax-free.

For example, Mr. Edwards is 75 and his wife is 70. They transfer $20,000 to Cottage Housing, Inc. for a gift annuity and receive $1,400 annually for life ($20,000 x 7.0% -- the annuity rate for their combined ages). The full guaranteed payments continue for the survivor's life.

If you wish, you may defer charitable gift annuity. You can make the gift now, and Cottage Housing, Inc. will pay you (and another beneficiary, if you wish) life income starting at any date you specify. This is a great option if you are concerned about retirement income. Also, you receive the income tax deduction in the year you make the gift. The amount you receive each year depends on the amount transferred, your age now, and your age when the payments are to start.

For example, Miss Baker, age 50, transfers $10,000 to Cottage Housing, Inc. for a deferred gift annuity with payments to start at age 65. Her rate of return will be 16.3 percent, and she will receive $1,630 per year for life ($10,000 x 16.3%).

Note that the charitable deduction is available to donors who 'itemize' deductions and in some cases may not be wholly deductible in one year. Excess deductions, however, can be carried over and deducted for up to five carryover years. Remember that the charitable gift annuity is an irrevocable gift commitment, but one with excellent tax and financial benefits.

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

Charitable Lead Trust

Individuals with very large estates can use a charitable lead trust to benefit Cottage Housing, Inc. and pass principal to family members with little or no tax penalty. It works like this:

You transfer assets to a trust that provides payments to Cottage Housing, Inc. for a term of years. Then the trust principal goes to your children, grandchildren, or others free of, or at greatly reduced, federal gift and estate tax. (Please note that a generation skipping tax [GST] is imposed on large transfers to grandchildren and others who are more than one generation younger than you.)

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

Charitable Remainder Trust

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

A trust is a legal agreement that specifies how the assets placed under the trust will be managed. The charitable remainder trust is an attractive method to achieve a variety of goals while providing income for life and knowing that after your lifetime, the property remaining in the trust will be used by (nonprofit_name) as you specified. There are two types of charitable remainder trusts - the unitrust and annuity trust.

Unitrust: income fluctuates annually with the fair market value of the trust.

For example, Mr. Edwards irrevocably transfers $100,000 to create a charitable remainder unitrust that will provide him with life income payments. The trust agreement provides that he will receive 6 percent of the fair market value of the assets each year. The first year he receives $6,000 (100,000 x 6%). One year later the trust assets are valued at $120,000, so he is paid $7,200 ($120,000 x 6%). If the trust assets are worth $110,000 at the beginning of the next year, he will receive $6,600 ($110,000 x 6%). And so on each year. If trust income exceeds the stated payout percentage, the excess is added to the unitrust assets and reinvested.

Annuity Trust: income payments are fixed and determined when the gift is made.

Life Insurance Gift

Some of our supporters no longer need their life insurance that was purchased years ago to provide for children or other family members. If that is your situation, please consider donating the policy to Cottage Housing, Inc. You may claim a charitable deduction for approximately the policy's cash surrender value, and the proceeds are completely removed from your estate.

We make no claims regarding the accuracy of the above information or the tax consequences stemming from your use of it. Please consult with your own tax, legal, or financial planning advisor.

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Administrative Offices: 1726 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825, 916.971.1566
© 2010 Cottage Housing, Inc. All rights reserved.