Advisor Knowledge Hub
IPOs and charitable clients: Three scenarios for impact
If you keep an eye on initial public offerings, it’s been an exciting few weeks, especially if your clients are involved. As you work with clients who may hold stock that’s going public, or if your...
Backdrop required: Informing your work with charitable clients
As attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, you’re dedicated to helping charitable clients navigate technical planning opportunities ranging from donor-advised funds and Qualified Charitable...
Business succession planning: Four questions and one word of caution
At IECF, we work with a wide range of individuals, families, and businesses for whom charitable giving is a priority, especially related to supporting causes in our community that improve the...
Good news keeps coming: Retirement plans and charitable giving
You’ve no doubt noticed that Qualified Charitable Distributions (“QCDs”) continue to gain traction as one of the most practical and effective charitable planning tools for clients over age 70 ½. By...
Split-interest charitable gifts: Need-to-know FAQs
As charitable planning conversations become more sophisticated, many advisors are revisiting so-called “split-interest gifts” to help clients balance philanthropic goals with income needs. Two of...
Getting creative: Unusual noncash assets can make great gifts to charity
If you’re like many advisors, you may have discovered that often charitable giving conversations begin (and end!) with cash or appreciated stock. And of course, you are well aware that appreciated...
Wake up call: OBBA changes and client conversations
For many attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, the tax law changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are old news. That is not the case for many of your clients! While you’ve been busy reading...
Rare but useful: Planning with charitable lead trusts
“Charitable lead trust” is far from a household word, and you might not run across the need for one very often in your practice. They sure do come in handy in certain client situations, though. At...
Calling it splits: What happens to charitable assets in a divorce?
As you work with charitable clients over the course of your career, you’ll likely help dozens of married couples establish donor-advised funds and other types of funds at IECF, structure charitable...
Transferring a private foundation? Remind clients to communicate
As you work with clients who have established a private foundation, it is not uncommon for the conversation to eventually turn to whether this structure still makes sense. What began as a seemingly...
Case study: Charitable giving in a down market
As you guide clients through ongoing market uncertainty, you may be noticing that conversations are becoming as much about perspective as performance metrics. While headlines may or may not...
Serving charitable clients: Dual strategies emerge
As tax laws and market dynamics continue to shift, it is important for attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors to be aware of two increasingly distinct groups of donors. On one hand, the high...
Case study: Business owners exit with a family legacy
As an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor, you probably work with several clients who own a family business. You’ve likely also considered that there may be a role for strategic philanthropy in...
Documentation is no joke and coffee is not milk: Two vital tax rulings
At IECF, we value the role you play in helping individuals and families make the most of their charitable giving. That’s why we’re committed to providing regular updates on legal and policy...
Women and philanthropy: Four insights to inform your practice
At IECF, we’re honored to work with hundreds of individuals, families, and businesses who support a wide range of charitable causes. The generosity and commitment across generations and demographics...
Worth a look: Charitable gifts of real estate
If your client base includes philanthropic individuals and families, you’re likely aware that gifts of real estate are an option to fund charitable giving. Real estate is the largest asset class in...
Postmarks, rule changes, and remedies for clients’ 2025 charitable gifts
If you were surprised to read about the ripple effect of a seemingly small change in the U.S. Postal Service regulations late last year, you were not alone! Here’s what you need to know, including...
Sudden life changes: Charitable giving can help clients get through it
As an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor, you are no stranger to witnessing the ripple effects of life’s unexpected curveballs. If you represent a client over many years, you’re very likely at some...
Case study: A QCD conversion in action
If you know the basics of Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) but have a hard time envisioning exactly what to say and do when they come up in a client conversation, you are not alone! Whether...
Keep going: Why donor-advised funds are still essential
For many CPAs, estate planning attorneys, and financial advisors, the end of 2025 brought a whirlwind of charitable planning activity among high-earner clients. That’s because many taxpayers wanted...
What’s new in the numbers: A checklist for charitable tax rules in 2026
Well before 2025 made way for 2026, you were no doubt already tracking the various IRS thresholds that are subject to adjustment, as well as the new tax laws’ impact on planning techniques. But have...
A key to client retention: Consider charitable planning
Retaining clients is a cornerstone of long-term business success, no matter the profession or industry. As the saying goes, keeping an existing client—and earning additional work from that client—is...
2025 action required: Last call for current tax rules
As you counsel clients through year-end tax planning, the community foundation encourages you to remind them that 2025 presents a critical window of opportunity for charitable giving before major...
Planning for clients’ incapacity: Why charitable intentions matter
The team at IECF is honored to work with attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors to help clients turn generosity into lasting impact. Of course, as you work with your charitable clients, you...
Rare but powerful “charitable exits”: Know it when you see it
If your client base includes business owners, you’re no doubt at least generally aware of the benefits of giving closely-held business interests to charity. Beyond that, though, the details may get...
Bread and butter strategy: QCDs for clients 70½ and older
As the economic and legislative environment continues to evolve, advisors are sharpening every tool they have to help clients meet both their financial and charitable goals. Provisions enacted as...
Donor-advised funds: Flexible, tax-friendly, and just the beginning
As attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, you’ve no doubt noticed that financial publications’ coverage of donor-advised funds is increasing. This is no surprise, considering that these popular...
Three clients. Three solutions. One common theme.
We’ve rounded the corner into the fourth quarter! As the calendar year draws to a close, you’re likely well aware that charitable giving is not only important to your clients first and foremost as...
Inherited IRAs: A charitable solution?
Remember the good old days when your clients could withdraw the money they inherited in their parents’ IRAs over the course of their lifetimes, thereby deferring the income tax for as long as...
Two reasons to celebrate charitable giving (and three steps to engage your clients)
There’s a lot to celebrate about charitable giving in October! National Estate Planning Week For many attorneys, financial advisors, and CPAs, estate planning and charitable giving is part of your...
