Attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors certainly are not strangers to tough questions. Indeed, the mix of money, family, and mortality is a potent combination that almost always creates an emotionally charged planning environment, whether the matter at hand is tax planning, updating wills and trusts, or structuring retirement portfolios.

Why, then, are so many advisors reluctant to bring up charitable giving during client meetings when the topic itself is so uplifting? In some cases, you may feel like you don’t know enough about the technical tax planning aspects of charitable giving to be able to offer sound advice. In other cases, you may be concerned about taking the planning process off course into areas where the client doesn’t want you involved. Or maybe you don’t feel you have a good enough grasp of the client’s big picture to truly recognize opportunities for charitable planning that are a win-win for the client’s favorite causes and the client’s tax and financial plan.

Guess what? There is no need to worry! The community foundation has you covered. Consider this...

Many of your philanthropy-minded clients certainly enjoy attending fundraising events for their favorite charities. Especially as community events start ramping up this fall, you’ll want to be aware of a little wrinkle in the IRS rules that may surprise your clients so much that they ask you about it.

Humans crave certainty, and that is certainly not what we have right now during election season, especially where taxes are concerned.

Your clients who support charitable causes may be wondering how the election outcomes might impact their philanthropic plans. You’re probably wondering that, too!

The community foundation team keeps a finger on the pulse of current events and legal developments that could impact the way you work with your charitable clients. Here are three notable items that you’ll likely want to keep in mind this fall.

Giving stock is an important strategy for any private business owner to explore. Not only can these gifts help implement a business succession plan that calls for transferring the business to the next generation if that is your client’s goal, but gifts of stock can also help your business owner client achieve charitable goals and avoid estate tax.

In light of recent legal developments and pending tax law changes, more and more financial and estate planning advisors are encouraging their clients to consider implementing gifts of closely-held stock to a fund at the community foundation or other public charity. Notably, two developments could have a big impact on your work with these clients.