How Community Foundations Can Help Us Give Meaningfully

August 6, 2021 Barry Taylor, Senior Wealth Manager and Managing Director at Sand Hill Global Advisors joins Pamela Doherty, Senior Director of Gift Planning and Acting Chief of Philanthropy of The San Francisco Foundation to discuss what the role of community foundations is with prospective donors if donors can just give locally, what a typical … Continued

Revisiting Donor Advised Funds to Help the Most Vulnerable Charities

It is estimated that the newly passed tax law could result in a reduction of billions of dollars in charitable giving starting this year. Although the long-standing charitable deduction methodology was preserved, overall giving could be significantly hindered due to the new higher standard deduction reducing the number of tax payers who itemize on their … Continued

Will Tax Reform Be Charitable to Philanthropists?

With Republicans controlling both the White House and Congress, there is an increased likelihood of tax reform legislation hitting the debate floor.  Proposals by President Trump and the House Ways and Means Committee appear to support the reduction of marginal tax rates and modification of itemized deductions which will mute the taxable benefits of gifting … Continued

The Charitable Lead Trust: A Vehicle Worth Considering in a Low Interest Rate Environment

Many families hold philanthropy as an important family value and strive to find ways to give efficiently, perhaps accomplishing additional objectives in the process.  Investors, having lived with low interest rates for many years, are starting to see signs that rates may gradually rise.   That begs a question: are there unique financial planning opportunities worth … Continued

Hassle-Free Philanthropy

One nice feature of the increasingly popular charitable vehicle called the donor-advised fund (DAF) is the ease with which it can be established and managed. An equally important attraction is the ability to accelerate charitable deductions into the year in which any gifts are made to the DAF, even though donors can defer any actual … Continued

Expand Your Legacy: Gifting Complex Assets

Real estate, farmland, artwork, closely-held stock of C or S corporations….these are all highly valuable assets, especially here in the Land of Founder’s Stock. If you’re philanthropically minded, it might make sense to consider incorporating these valuable, less liquid assets in your strategic gift and tax planning. With the memory of tax season still fresh, … Continued

To Give or Not to Give is Only Part of the Question

We are humbled by the philanthropic nature of our clients and community. In 2012, (the most recent year statistics are available), charitable contributions from American individuals, corporations and foundations increased for a third straight year, reaching $316.23 billion in total giving.  Of the top 50 philanthropists of 2012, 20 of them live in California with … Continued