At Wright Ford Young & Co., we know charitable causes are important to you. That’s why we guide you through the process of allocating your wealth to further the causes you believe in.  Whether you are considering a lifetime charitable contribution or a transfer effective at your death, we can help you make a positive difference in your community. Our Estates & Trusts practice professionals have expertise in both the income tax and estate tax implications of establishing efficient charitable legacies.

Proper allocation ensures income and estate tax liabilities are minimized when establishing your charitable legacy. Charitable giving in the United States hit record numbers exceeding $400 billion over the past few years, which tells us that it’s something more of our clients’ care about and has become ingrained in the national wealth culture.

Our team works with you to set specific tax and non- tax charitable giving goals while taking into consideration potential pitfalls that can affect reaching those goals such as: private foundations vs. public charities, charitable trusts, donor advised funds, charitable annuities, life insurance, real estate, publicly traded securities, privately held businesses, pension plans and IRAs.

We believe like you do, that there are worthy principles, other than those in the accounting arena, which give meaning to our business and our lives. Since its inception in 2007, Wright Ford Young & Co’s charitable giving committee has given 1% of the firm’s gross revenues to charities each year, resulting in over $1,000,000 donated to support our community’s growing needs. We care about the world around us and your bottom line.

Why Wright Ford Young & Co. for you?

• Define and clarify your tax and non-tax charitable giving goals
• Choose the appropriate methodology to reach your goals
• Establish and administer
• Private foundations*
• Public charities
• Charitable trusts
• Donor-advised funds
• Charitable annuities
• Choose the most efficient assets for funding your donation
• Publicly traded securities
• Privately held businesses
• Real estate
• Life insurance
• Pension plans and IRAs

Charitable planning engagements are handled by our Estate and Trust Department team, led by Marisa Alvarado.

*Under the California Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004, an independent audit of annual financial statements is required for charities, including private foundations, with gross revenues of $2,000,000 or more. Our Audit Department, under the leadership of Partner Jeff Myers, has special proficiency in helping private foundations satisfy this requirement.

Watch this 50 minute presentation regarding Keeping Private Foundations Out of Tax Trouble, presented by Wright Ford Young & Co. and former Estates and Trusts partner Cheryl J. Schaffer, CPA, MST, AEP®.  In this video, you will learn the following :

1. That IRS Form 990-PF is public information and should disclose the required information in a manner that puts the Foundation’s best face forward
2. The various filing requirements for Private Foundations including deadlines, penalties, and penalty abatement strategies
3. The 6 Private Foundation Excise Taxes, of which 5 are punitive in nature, self-dealing and the Private Inurement Doctrine
4. Who is a Disqualified Person
5. Issues of concern to the IRS
6. Which records should be retained