Fee-only advisors for DAFs, CRTs, QCDs, and strategic charitable planning.
Charitable planning has moved far beyond checkbook giving. Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs), Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), private foundations, and charitable gift annuities each have distinct tax treatment and control tradeoffs. Bunching strategies and appreciated-asset gifting can change the real-dollar impact of a gift by 30–50%.
What our matched specialists handle
- DAF vs private foundation — at what asset level does each make sense?
- Charitable Remainder Trust — do the math on income vs legacy tradeoffs
- Qualified Charitable Distributions from my IRA — how do I do this right?
- Gifting appreciated stock vs cash — what's the tax difference?
- Bunching deductions every 3-5 years — is this right for us?
- I want to set up a family charitable legacy — how do we structure for my kids?
Tools & guides
Appreciated Stock Gift Calculator — 2026
See the exact dollar difference between gifting appreciated stock directly vs. selling first and donating cash. Shows capital gains tax avoided, LTCG+NIIT rates, OBBBA deduction adjustments, and net advantage. Long-term vs. short-term comparison.
DAF Tax Deduction Calculator — 2026
Calculate your federal income tax deduction and capital gains tax avoided from funding a DAF. Shows OBBBA 0.5% floor and 35% cap adjustments. Cash vs. appreciated stock comparison.
DAF vs Private Foundation Cost Calculator
Compare total cost of DAF vs private foundation at your giving level, accounting for admin, investment fees, and tax differences.
Charitable Remainder Trust Calculator
Model a CRT income stream, charitable deduction, and capital gains tax avoided — versus selling outright today.
QCD vs. RMD Tax Savings Calculator
Compare a Qualified Charitable Distribution versus taking your RMD and donating. Shows 2026 federal tax savings and IRMAA bracket impact.
QCD vs. Donor-Advised Fund: Which Is Right for You?
Side-by-side comparison of the two most tax-efficient giving strategies. QCDs exclude income from AGI and provide IRMAA relief; DAFs maximize appreciated-asset gifting and bunching. Most donors over 70½ should use both — here's how.
Charitable Remainder Trust vs. Donor-Advised Fund
CRT or DAF for your appreciated assets? CRTs provide income and diversify concentrated positions — but defer capital gains. DAFs permanently avoid capital gains and maximize flexibility — but provide no income. 2026 decision framework, comparison table, and worked example with a $1.5M stock position.
Charitable Gift Annuity Calculator — 2026 ACGA Rates
Estimate your CGA annuity payment, charitable deduction, and after-tax yield at current ACGA rates (5.2%–10.1% by age). Cash vs. appreciated stock comparison, OBBBA 35% deduction cap, and SECURE 2.0 IRA funding election.
Charitable Deduction AGI Limits — 2026 Complete Guide
How much can you deduct? The 60%/30%/20% AGI tiers by gift type and recipient, the OBBBA 0.5% floor (all itemizers), the 35% value cap (37% bracket only), 5-year carryover mechanics, and three worked examples showing the combined effect at different income levels.
Gifting Appreciated Stock to Charity
How donating appreciated stock avoids capital gains tax and maximizes deduction. 2026 LTCG rates, OBBBA changes, vehicle comparison, and common mistakes.
Donating Real Estate to Charity
How gifting appreciated real estate avoids capital gains tax — direct gift, Flip CRUT, bargain sale, and the mortgage complication. 2026 rules including appraisal requirements and OBBBA changes.
Donating Cryptocurrency to Charity
How to donate Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other crypto and avoid capital gains tax. 2026 deduction limits, the qualified appraisal requirement most donors miss, DAF vs direct vs CRT comparison, and DeFi/NFT considerations.
Donor Advised Fund Strategy Guide
How a DAF advisor structures contributions for maximum tax efficiency — appreciated stock funding, bunching, complex assets, and DAF + CRT combinations. 2026 rules.
Charitable Remainder Trust Design Guide
CRUT vs CRAT mechanics, capital gains deferral, 10% remainder test, April 2026 §7520 rate, and when a CRT beats a DAF. Includes Flip CRUT and real estate strategies.
Charitable Lead Trust Design Guide
How a CLT works: CLAT vs CLUT mechanics, zero-out wealth transfer strategy using the §7520 rate, grantor vs non-grantor treatment, and when a CLT beats a CRT or DAF.
Private Foundation Setup Guide
How a private foundation works: 5% distribution requirement, self-dealing rules (IRC §4941), Form 990-PF compliance, and when a foundation makes more sense than a DAF. Decision table, contribution limits, and common mistakes.
Charitable Planning Complete Guide
Detailed framework — DAF, CRT, QCD, bunching, and appreciated stock gifting rules and tradeoffs.
Family Charitable Legacy Planning
How to structure giving across generations — DAF with family advisors, private foundation governance, involving children, and the estate planning intersection. 2026 exemptions.
Charitable Planning Before Selling Your Business
Pre-sale stock gifts to a DAF or CRT avoid capital gains tax on appreciated shares — but the gift must close before any binding commitment to sell. C-corp, S-corp, and partnership considerations. 2026 guide.
Naming Charity as Your IRA or 401(k) Beneficiary
Traditional IRAs carry a hidden income-tax liability that appreciated assets don't. Directing pre-tax retirement accounts to charity — and appreciated securities to heirs — can eliminate six figures in taxes with no reduction to either side. 2026 rules including SECURE 2.0 10-year impact.
Donating Life Insurance to Charity
OBBBA's permanent $15M estate exemption has left many HNW donors with life insurance policies they no longer need for estate liquidity. Donating a policy to charity can generate an income tax deduction — but only with a full, irrevocable ownership transfer. 2026 rules, Form 712, and common mistakes.
Charitable Bequest Planning: Leaving Money to Charity in Your Will
A bequest to charity triggers an unlimited estate tax deduction under IRC §2055 — no AGI cap. Covers bequest types (specific, percentage, residuary), the legacy DAF strategy, testamentary CRT, state estate taxes in 12 states, and the optimal asset-location order (IRA to charity, Roth to heirs). 2026 rules.
Wealth Replacement Trust: CRT + ILIT Strategy
How to give appreciated assets to charity via a CRT, then use the income stream to fund an ILIT life insurance policy that replaces the donated wealth for heirs — estate-tax free. 2026 IRC §664, §2042, §2035, and §2503(b) rules. Math, common mistakes, and when this strategy works.
Charitable Bunching Strategy — 2026
How to concentrate 3–5 years of giving into one tax year using a DAF to clear the $32,200 MFJ standard deduction. OBBBA 0.5% AGI floor and 35% cap, appreciated stock amplification, income-event coordination. Real math showing $10K–$73K in extra savings per cycle.
Charitable Bunching Calculator — 2026
Enter your AGI, annual giving, and other deductions to see the exact dollar difference between giving annually vs. bunching 2, 3, or 5 years into a DAF. Models OBBBA 0.5% floor, 35% cap, and AGI carryforward limits.
DAF Sponsor Comparison: Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT
Side-by-side comparison of Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and National Philanthropic Trust — minimums, admin fees, complex-asset acceptance, and advisor-directed investing programs. Decision guide by donor situation.
Donating RSUs and Stock Options to Charity
The two donation windows for RSUs (immediate post-vest vs. 1-year hold for FMV deduction), ISO qualifying disposition rules, NQSO exercise timing, and how to use a DAF for tech-company equity. OBBBA 35% cap context.
Charitable Giving Strategies for High-Income Earners
Five core strategies for $500K+ earners: appreciated stock, DAF bunching, QCDs, CRTs, and pre-sale planning. Year-of-event decision table, OBBBA 0.5% floor and 35% cap, and estate coordination framework.
Roth Conversion + Charitable Giving: 2026 Timing Strategy
How a Roth conversion raises your DAF deduction ceiling — and why timing a large charitable contribution in the same year often outperforms giving separately. OBBBA 35% cap, 60% AGI limit mechanics, three worked scenarios, and the QCD interaction for donors age 70½+.
Charitable Contribution Carryover Rules — 2026
How the 5-year carryover (IRC §170(d)(1)) works for gifts that exceed AGI limits. FIFO ordering, OBBBA 0.5% floor interaction, expiration risk scenarios, and a worked $800K example across five years.
Community Foundation vs. Donor-Advised Fund
When a community foundation's local grantmaking expertise, scholarship funds, and variance power make it worth the tradeoff vs. a national DAF. Fund types, CF vs. PF comparison, and selection criteria by donor situation.
Zero-Out CLAT Calculator
Model the annual payment to charity, total charitable distribution, and estimated remainder to heirs from a Charitable Lead Annuity Trust using the current §7520 rate. Estate tax comparison and hurdle-rate logic.
Year-End Charitable Giving Deadlines — 2026
Hard deadlines for stock gifts (DTC transfer by Dec 19), QCDs (charity must receive by Dec 31), DAF cash contributions, and mailed checks — including the USPS postmark rule change effective December 24, 2025 that shifts many mailed donations into January.
Conservation Easement Charitable Deduction — 2026 Guide
How a qualified conservation easement (IRC §170(h)) generates a deduction of up to 50% of AGI (100% for farmers/ranchers) with a 15-year carryover. IRS requirements, legitimate vs. abusive syndicated schemes, state tax credits in Colorado, Virginia, and New York, and the estate tax interaction.
Charitable Planning for Retirees Over 70: QCDs, CGAs, and IRA Strategies
The complete 2026 guide for age 70½+ donors: QCDs up to $111K/yr to eliminate AGI and IRMAA cliff exposure, charitable gift annuity rates that peak in retirement (6.3%–10.1%), CRT strategies for appreciated assets, and the IRA-to-charity beneficiary decision that eliminates Income in Respect of a Decedent for heirs.
Charitable Deduction Documentation: What the IRS Requires for Every Gift Type
Substantiation requirements for every gift size and type — written acknowledgment, Form 8283 thresholds ($500/$5K/$500K), qualified appraisal rules for crypto, real estate, and closely-held stock, and the documentation failures that permanently disallow deductions. 2026 rules including OBBBA non-itemizer deduction.
Donating Art, Jewelry & Collectibles to Charity
The related use rule is the most important concept most HNW donors don't know: donate a painting to a hospital and you deduct only your cost basis, not the appraised value. Donate the same painting to a museum that will display it and you deduct full FMV and avoid capital gains. 2026 guide: museum gift vs CRT vs DAF, Form 8283 appraisal tiers, fractional interest rules, and common mistakes.
How to Open a Donor Advised Fund: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
The mechanics of opening a DAF: choosing Fidelity Charitable vs. Schwab Charitable vs. Vanguard Charitable, funding with appreciated stock via DTC transfer, DTC timing for year-end tax deductions, investment options, naming successors, and common mistakes that cost donors their same-year deduction.
How to Invest Your Donor-Advised Fund (2026)
Time horizon drives everything: a DAF you plan to grant in 2 years should be invested very differently than one you're building for decades. Covers pooled pools vs. advisor-directed, the sponsor-by-sponsor investment options, ESG/impact choices, why tax-loss harvesting doesn't work inside a DAF, and a tiered liquidity framework for active grantmakers.
How to Choose a Charitable Planning Financial Advisor
What credentials to look for (CAP®, CFP® with charitable focus), why fee-only structure matters in this niche, 8 questions to ask a prospective advisor, and red flags that reveal a generalist who can't handle DAFs, CRTs, and QCDs at the specialist level.
Retained Life Estate: Give Your Home to Charity, Keep Living In It
How to transfer ownership of your home to a charity now — taking a current income tax deduction — while retaining the right to live there for life. 2026 deduction factors by age from IRS Table S (5.0% §7520 rate): a 75-year-old with a $1.5M home deducts ~$877K. Covers mortgage complication, irrevocability, joint life estates, and comparison to charitable bequests and CRTs.
Bargain Sale to Charity: Tax Mechanics and When It Makes Sense
When you sell appreciated property to a charity for less than full value, the IRS allocates your basis pro-rata — creating a taxable gain even well below your cost basis. 2026 guide: worked real-estate and land examples, the mortgage trap, comparison to sell-and-donate, and when a bargain sale beats a Flip CRUT.
Charitable Planning in a Year of Sudden Wealth
When a business sale, IPO, large inheritance, or other liquidity event spikes your income to $2M–$10M+, your charitable deduction ceiling is at its peak — and the window closes December 31. 2026 guide: assignment of income doctrine timing, DAF vs. CRT vehicle selection by gift size, OBBBA 35% cap mechanics, and a worked example showing $441K in combined tax savings from a single appreciated stock gift.
Net Investment Income Tax and Charitable Giving — Reduce Your 3.8% Exposure
The 3.8% NIIT hits investment income above $200K/$250K MAGI — and those thresholds haven't moved since 2013. Gifting appreciated stock to a DAF attacks NIIT from two directions at once: the capital gain never enters NII, and the deduction reduces MAGI. Covers DAF, QCD threshold management, CRT deferral vs. permanent avoidance, bunching, and an OBBBA interaction most donors miss.
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Charitable Advisor Match is a matching service. We connect you with vetted fee-only financial advisors in our network — we don't manage money or provide advice ourselves. Advisors in our network are fiduciaries who charge transparent fees (not product commissions), and we match you based on your specific situation.