This is a great time of the year to clean out your garage and give your items to charity. Please remember that you can only write off these donations to a charitable organization if you itemize your deductions and given the tax law changes coming this might be the last year you can get this deduction. Sometimes your donations can be difficult to value. You can find estimated values for your donated clothing at http://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/itsdeductible/.
Send cash donations to your favorite charity by December 31, and be sure to hold on to your cancelled check or credit card receipt as proof of your donation. If you contribute $250 or more, you also need a written acknowledgement from the charity.
If you plan to make a significant gift to charity this year, consider gifting appreciated stocks or other investments that you have owned for more than one year. Doing so boosts the savings on your tax returns. Your charitable contribution deduction is the fair market value of the securities on the date of the gift, not the amount you paid for the asset, and therefore you avoid having to pay taxes on the profit!
Do not donate investments that have lost value. It is best to sell the asset with the loss first and then donate the proceeds, allowing you to take both the charitable contribution deduction and the capital loss. Also remember, if you give appreciated property to charity, the unrealized gain must be long-term capital gain in order for the entire fair market value (FMV) to be deductible. (The amount of the charitable deduction must be reduced by any unrealized ordinary income, depreciation recapture and/or short-term gain.)
The law allowing taxpayers age 70½ and older to transfer up to $100,000 directly from their IRA over to a charity has been made permanent. Doing this can also satisfy all or part of the required minimum distribution (RMD). This will be an attractive transaction in 2018 and beyond if the Tax Reform Act goes through.
Information in this material is for general information only and not intended as investment, tax or legal advice. Please consult the appropriate professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation prior to making any financial decision.
Email me your questions at financial.feedom@lpl.com or call 541-574-6464. You can also post you question on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FinancialFreedomWealthManagementGroup
