Ren | Blog

An often-cited philanthropic goal among charitable-minded individuals is to develop a lasting impact that will live on after they are gone. Whether that means instilling in your children and grandchildren a tradition of giving, or developing a means of perpetual giving to continue your charitable habits after your time on Earth has passed, having the ability to make a financial difference and creating a legacy of giving can easily be accomplished by starting a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF).

Read More »Building a Charitable Legacy

Sifting through the new tax laws to find potential deductions can be tricky. While the standard deduction has increased for individuals, deductions for qualified business owners can be a little more complicated because of the new Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBID) introduced at the beginning of 2018.

Read More »Own a Business? You May Still Benefit from a Qualified Business Income Deduction

Now that your taxes are filed or you’ve filed an extension, the thought has probably crossed your mind about how you could ease the pain of that tax bill next year. Ren has several philanthropic tools to help take some of the teeth out of the tax bite. Here, we will share with you the different gift types we can help you to establish and how they may help you cut your tax burden as well as reach your philanthropic goals.

Read More »Taxed from Tax Season? We may have a tool to help.

Recently, I attended the Alliance for Charitable Reform Summit for Leaders in Washington, D.C. and I came away with many thoughts for the near future of philanthropy. While there is still a lot to unravel from the recent passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the shift in charitable giving is already being felt in the industry. I’ve been reading a lot of articles that have both positive and negative impacts on donors and charities and wanted to summarize my thoughts here.

Read More »Unpacking the Future of Philanthropy

It’s no secret, if your business is not growing, it will soon be extinct. In a recent Forbes Magazine study of 803 financial advisors, 91% of them cited their number one concern as how to grow their asset base. It makes sense, we all know what happens to our client’s portfolios when they pass away, or when clients need cash flow at retirement, or one of the myriad reasons assets go out the door. What makes pursuing new assets more challenging is that 88% of those surveyed reported there is intense competition for wealthy clients. There is not only the efficiency of more assets per individual, but there are more options to generate revenue from non-investment solutions.

Read More »Looking for New Ways to Attract New Assets?

According to the IRS, more than 36 million people offset their 2015 tax bills by taking charitable-giving deductions. The new Tax Cut and Jobs Act passed by congress and signed into law in December increases the standard deduction that taxpayers can claim from $6,350 for single filers and $12,700 for those filing jointly to $12,000 and $24,000 respectively. Many feel that increase may lead to fewer taxpayers itemizing and a potential drop in charitable giving. But there is a way for charitable-minded individuals to continue to make gifts and get the tax breaks they’ve come to enjoy. It’s what accountants call “Bunching.”

Read More »Bunch Your Charitable Giving to Maximize Tax Deductions

Investment savvy individuals are taking note of the skyrocketing prices of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin over the past several months. Many may still not know much about this virtual asset or how it works, but several who have it are calling Ren to open Donor-Advised Funds with it and alleviating some of their tax burdens.

Read More »Open a Donor-Advised Fund with Bitcoin

Rarely does a week pass without some shakeup in Washington D.C. making the headlines. Most recently, the debate over tax reform has taken center stage and on this Giving Tuesday, it is a pertinent time to examine how the proposed changes are sure to influence charitable giving practices. Investors across the country are taking note and have been making serious moves to benefit from the existing tax laws before any changes go into effect.

Read More »Uncertainty over Tax Reform Drives Investors to Charitable Gifts

Study after study has shown that charitable giving trends ramp up in the fourth quarter. Bolstered by holiday spirit and the need to make gifts to avoid taxes, December is, by far, the month when individuals feel most charitable. But what about the rest of the year? While nonprofit organizations are getting flooded with donations in November and December, charitable giving tends to taper off considerably after January 1^st.

Read More »Make a Year-End Gift that Gives All Year

According to FEMA, there have been 105 declared natural disasters in the United States this year. From the flooding in Arkansas, Missouri and parts of Illinois, to the wildfires in California and the Pacific Northwest, to the most recent devastation experienced in Houston, Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico caused by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, thousands of people are now homeless and billions of dollars and many months will be needed to complete a full recovery.

Read More »Weathering the Storm Together