Gifts That Reduce Your Taxes

You can give our students greater opportunities to learn, discover, connect and build a brighter future. What’s more, you can also enjoy tax benefits from these gifts now, or you can establish a future gift that will pass tax benefits along to your loved ones.

Stocks and Securities

When you give stock or securities (stock, bonds, mutual funds), you may be eligible for a double tax benefit: 1) You receive an income tax deduction for the full, present, fair market value of the assets and 2) you may completely avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation of the assets. This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing your philanthropic goals. 

Retirement Assets

A gift of your retirement assets, such as an employee retirement plan, IRA, or tax-sheltered annuity, is an excellent way to make a gift. A gift of these assets can shield you or your heirs from taxes while funding U of I.

Life Insurance

Transfer ownership now:

To make an impact on our mission today, irrevocably designate U of I as owner and beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy. If your policy is paid up, you will receive an immediate income tax deduction based on the policy value.

If your policy is not yet paid up, you will make contributions of cash to U of I to cover future premium payments. For any continuing premium payments you make, you will receive a charitable deduction in the year of the payment.

 

Name us as a beneficiary:

You can name U of I as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your life insurance policy. With this gift arrangement, U of I will receive the proceeds of your policy when you pass away. You can change your beneficiary at any time.

This gift is easy to arrange — simply request a beneficiary designation form from your plan administrator.

Charitable Lead Trusts

With a charitable lead trust, you benefit from tax savings, yet you retain the assets making up your gift so you can leave them for your family.

There are two ways charitable lead trusts make payments:

  • A charitable lead annuity trust pays a fixed amount each year to the University of Idaho and is more attractive when interest rates are low.
  • A charitable lead unitrust pays a variable amount each year based on the value of the assets in the trust. With a unitrust, if the trust’s assets go up in value, for example, the payments to U of I go up as well.
Personal Property

A gift of artwork, coins, antiques, or other personal property can be an excellent way to support U of I. The tax benefits of the gift depend on whether U of I can use the property in a way that is related to its mission. Contact us to learn more about this type of gift — we would be happy to help you find the option that best fits your philanthropic goals.

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