Charitable Lead Trusts
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If you want to make an impact now at the University of Pittsburgh and also provide for your family later, consider setting up a charitable lead trust. You transfer cash or other assets to a trust that makes payments to the University of Pittsburgh for a period of time. When the term is up, the remaining trust passes to your family or other beneficiaries you select.
There are two ways that charitable lead trusts make payments to the University of Pittsburgh:
A charitable lead annuity trust pays a fixed amount each year to the University of Pittsburgh and is more attractive when interest rates are low.
A charitable lead unitrust pays a variable amount each year to the University of Pittsburgh 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 the University of Pittsburgh go up as well.
Discover More
See which type of charitable trust best fits your estate plan with the complimentary guide Trusts: Choose From Two Ways to Donate.
View My GuideGifts That Pay
Your payments depend on your age at the time of the donation. If you are younger than 60, we recommend that you learn more about your options and download this complimentary guide Deferred Gift Annuities: Plan Now, Benefit Later.
View My GuideAn Example of How It Works
Mark would like to support the University of Pittsburgh and receive tax benefits. Mark received a windfall amount of income and needs a large income tax deduction to offset the income. Following his advisor’s recommendation, Mark funds a grantor charitable lead annuity trust with assets valued at $1,000,000. Mark’s trust pays $60,000 (6% of the initial fair market value) to the University of Pittsburgh each year for 15 years, which will total $900,000. After that, the balance in the trust reverts back to Mark. He receives an income tax charitable deduction of $614,445. Assuming the trust earns an average 8% annual rate of return, Mark receives approximately $1,600,286 at the end of the trust term.
*Based on a 5.2% charitable midterm federal rate. Deductions and calculations will vary depending on your personal circumstances.