What You’ll Learn

• The key differences between gifting and charitable giving, including how cost basis, capital gains, and tax exposure transfer when assets are gifted versus donated.

• How gift tax rules actually work, including annual exclusion limits, lifetime exemptions, and when IRS reporting is required (without triggering additional tax).

• Ways charitable giving can reduce taxes, such as donating appreciated assets, itemizing deductions, and understanding how 501(c)(3) organizations provide tax advantages.

• Advanced charitable strategies, including Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), donation “bunching,” and direct gifts of property, vehicles, or other assets.

• Planning tools for long-term impact, such as charitable remainder trusts, family foundations, paying education or medical expenses directly, and using 529 plans for tax-efficient gifting.