Charitable Giving After Tax Reform Many charities and advisors are fearful that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) will mean a precipitous drop in charitable giving. Some in the charitable community have even predicted that annual charitable giving will drop by $30 Billion! It should be remembered, however, that many surveys indicate Read More
Read MoreThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Act”) was signed into law by President Trump on Friday December 22, 2017. I reported on the following items in the Act that affect tax-exempt charities, as well as their donors, at the January 9, 2018 meeting of the Southwestern Planned Giving Council (“PPGC”). 1. Standard Deduction. The Act Read More
Read More2018 Changes in Annual Qualified Retirement Plan Benefit Limits The IRS recently announced the new annual qualified retirement plan benefit limits for 2018. Set forth in the table below is a summary of the most relevant new limits for 2016 – 2018. These lists are mainly of interest to those of you familiar with retirement Read More
Read MoreI reported on the following updates at the September 12, 2017 meeting of the Southwestern Planned Giving Council: 1. Pennsylvania Budget The Legislature and the Governor are still discussing various options to close a significant budget gap of approximately 2 billion dollars. Given the failure to agree on the revenue side of the budget, it Read More
Read MoreJune 2017 (Original article from October 2004) PLANNED GIVING – AN AGGRESSIVE RESPONSE I was at a Southwestern Leadership Foundation meeting back in 2004 where the program involved teaching on how to be an “aggressive responder.” From my recollection, this involves first being a good learner and active listener, and only then responding to the Read More
Read MoreOn May 18th, I was in Philadelphia for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s annual nonprofit conference. I have been one of the course planners for several years and this year I spoke with Michelle Buskey, CPA (Maher Duessel CPAs) on Endowments and Other Donor Restricted Gifts. Michelle and I spoke on defining endowments, reclassifying funds, and Read More
Read MoreCongress recently passed and President Obama signed a new law that will allow some small employers, including nonprofit organizations, to use Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) again. The 21st Century Cures Act, which takes effect January 1, 2017, exempts qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (QSEHRAs) from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions that prevented many Read More
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