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​IRA, stock, or donations of investments:
Sharing your wealth to help homeless families in Kansas City through stocks, bonds or other investments allows us to invest in the future of River of Refuge.
Starting at age 73 the IRS mandates IRA owners to take annual income withdrawals, known as Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Failure to take these withdrawals could subject IRA owners to stiff penalties.

Retirement-age individuals and couples may not want to take an RMD for various reasons. They may have other sufficient sources of income for certain years. Also, the withdrawal, which is subject to ordinary income tax, may push them into a higher tax bracket, which can have adverse impacts on Social Security payments and Medicare benefits.

Thankfully, charitably-minded individuals and couples age 70½ and older have a tax-smart strategy called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), also known as a charitable IRA rollover. The QCD allows a donor to instruct an IRA administrator to send up to $105,000 per year—all or part of the annual RMD—to one or more qualifying charities, excluding donor-advised funds. Couples who submit tax returns with married filing jointly status each qualify for annual QCDs of up to $105,000, for a potential total of $210,000. Donors can also direct a one-time, $53,000 QCD to a charitable remainder trust or charitable gift annuity as part of recently passed SECURE Act 2.0 legislation. So with QCDs, more of your assets can be used to support your favorite charities that are making a difference.

The IRA assets go directly to charity, so donors don't report QCDs as taxable income and don't owe any taxes on the QCD, even if they do not itemize deductions. Some donors may also find that QCDs provide greater tax savings than cash donations for which charitable tax deductions are claimed. This is because adjusted gross income (AGI) is reduced, as shown in the case study below, and AGI is used in several key calculations, such as determining the taxable portion of Social Security benefits or what deductions and credits donors qualify for receiving.

 

​​Honorary and Memorial Gifts:
Honor your parents, grandparents, family and friends by designating a gift in the honor or memory of someone special to River of Refuge.

 

Give beyond your lifetime by naming a donor-advised fund account or other public charity as a charitable beneficiary:

Not all assets owned are treated the same when passed to heirs. In fact, a unique feature of traditional IRAs is that heirs pay income taxes on the inherited assets at their own income tax rate at the time of withdrawal. This unique tax feature is why public charities can be ideal beneficiaries of IRA assets. Public charities—including donor-advised funds—do not pay income tax on IRA income, which means every penny of the donation can be directed to support the donor's charitable goals. What's more, donors can ask their advisors about using IRA assets to fund gifts, such as charitable remainder trusts, that provide income to heirs.

For example, charitable remainder trusts may:

Provide a steady stream of income for heirs

Enable an estate to claim an estate tax deduction, if needed

Fund a charitable legacy by naming a donor-advised fund account or other public charity as the beneficiary of trust assets

Naming a charitable beneficiary is easy to do and may result in substantial tax savings for a donor's heirs and estate.