If you desire to make a quick and simple gift, then you can do this with an outright gift to the James Madison University Foundation, using cash, securities, or personal property.Such a gift offers you the benefits of an immediate income tax deduction in the year of the gift and, the avoidance of any tax on capital gains you may have experienced while owning investment assets used to make this kind of gift.

If you desire to make a revocable gift during your lifetime, then you can do this with a gift via a Revocable Living Trust.As Living (or Family) Trusts become increasingly more popular in estate planning, you can name the James Madison University Foundation as the beneficiary of assets which will be held in the trust during your lifetime.As a creative strategy, your gift also may include the annual distribution of part of the income from the assets to the JMU Foundation during your lifetime to fund your annual gifts (to the Madison Fund or the Duke Club, for example), with the distribution of the principal assets deferred until after your death.Such a gift offers you the benefit of control over your assets during your lifetime and likely estate tax savings upon your death.Also, you may benefit from income tax and capital gains tax savings during your lifetime.

If your desire is to defer your gift until after your lifetime, then you can do this by making a bequest in your Will or a grant in your Living Trust.Simply name the James Madison University Foundation as a beneficiary in your Will or Living Trust. Such gifts may be for the full value of your estate, a part of your estate, or a specific amount.A testamentary gift offers you the benefits of a charitable gift exempt from federal estate taxation at the time of your death.

If you desire to make a large gift with little cost to yourself, then you can do this by making a gift using an existing or new life insurance policy.Simply assign to the James Madison University Foundation the ownership of the old (or new) policy, with the JMU Foundation named as the sole beneficiary of the policy.Among the advantages, such a gift offers you a current income tax deduction and possible future income tax deductions (if you continue making premium payments each year).

If you desire to avoid the double taxation on retirement plan assets, then you can do this by making a gift of your retirement plan(s) to the James Madison University Foundation.You would use the retirement plan's beneficiary designation form to name the JMU Foundation as beneficiary of the remainder of the assets in the plan after your lifetime.Such a gift offers you the benefit of avoiding the heavy tax that would be applied were these assets gifted to your heirs.This strategy is especially effective when you have other assets that carry far less costly tax consequences when they pass to your heirs.

If your desire is to avoid capital gains tax on the sale of a home, a farm, undeveloped land, commercial real property, or other real estate, then you can do this by making a gift of the real estate to the James Madison University Foundation,.Such a gift offers you the benefit of an immediate income tax deduction for the full fair market value of the real property and the avoidance of tax on the capital gain that otherwise would have to be recognized.Also, for commercial real property, a gift allows the donor to avoid the recapture of depreciation on the transfer of the real property to the JMU Foundation.

If you desire to make a gift of your personal residence or farm while continuing to live there for the rest of your life, then you can do this by making a gift of a retained life estate to the James Madison University Foundation.This can be a very effective gift plan you would convey the property to the JMU Foundation and reserve a life interest in the property.Such a gift offers you the benefit of an immediate charitable income tax deduction, the avoidance of capital gains tax, and full use and occupancy of your property for your entire lifetime.

If you desire to secure a fixed and often increased income for the rest of your lifetime, then you can do this by creating a charitable remainder annuity trust.Such a strategy is especially effective when you use appreciated assets (especially assets with low income producing capacity) to fund the trust.Then, the trust will pay you a set income annually, with the gift to the James Madison University Foundation deferred until after your death or, after a specific number of years.Among the benefits, such a gift offers you an immediate income tax deduction and a fixed income for your lifetime.

If you desire an effective protection of your income for the rest of your life especially in the event of high inflation then you can do this by creating a charitable remainder unitrust, using appreciated assets (especially assets with low income producing capacity) to fund the trust.Then, the trust will pay you a set percentage of the trust's assets (as valued annually), with the gift to the James Madison University Foundation being the remainder of the trust deferred until after your death or a specific number of years. Among the benefits, such a gift offers you an immediate income tax deduction and variable annual income for your lifetime that has the potential to increase as the assets in the trust grow in value.

If you desire to reduce gift and estate taxes on assets passing to your heirs, then you can do this by creating a charitable lead trust, using appreciated assets to fund a trust that pays a fixed or variable income to the James Madison University Foundation for a set term of years and then passes the principal and undistributed income in the trust to your heirs.Such a gift offers you three key benefits first, a reduced taxable estate (because the assets transferred to the trust are immediately removed from your estate); second, full retention of all the assets in the trust for your family, often with reduced gift tax consequences; and, third, a significant gift for the benefit of James Madison University.

© 2003 James Madison University.All Rights Reserved.