Charitable Gifts from Traditional Retirement Plans
Millions of dollars are transferred into IRAs, 401(k)s and other traditional qualified retirement plans every year by the American public.  The funds in these plans have tax deferral for both contributions and earnings during the participant's lifetime.  These funds are able to grow much more rapidly than savings or investments that are taxed currently.

Unfortunately, by naming someone other than your legal spouse as beneficiary of those assets, he/she may receive as little as 25 cents on the dollar after income and estate taxes are paid.  That is because IRD (income in respect to a decedent) assets are subject to both income and estate tax.

You can avoid the estate tax and a spouse may rollover the funds tax-free to his or her own IRA if you name your spouse as your designated beneficiary, thereby avoiding income tax.  However, the assets may then be taxed in the surviving spouse's estate.  Then the withdrawals by the spouse are taxed as received.

Designation of Charitible Beneficiary
One of the best assets to leave to charities to avoid income and estate tax are traditional retirement plans.  If possible, leave other assets to family or loved ones.

You can designate the Rescue Operation for Animals of the Reservation (ROAR) as a beneficiary to receive all or a portion of your retirement account upon your death.  Your estate will receive a charitable deduction for the value of the assets distributed to the Rescue Operation for Animals of the Reservation. Since ROAR is a Program of a tax-exempt charity, it will pay no income tax on the distribution.

Charitable Gift During Life
It is possible to use funds from an IRA or traditional retirement account to make charitable gifts.

If you make a gift to Rescue Operation for Animals of the Reservation using retirement account assets during your lifetime, the transfer is treated as a withdrawal, which subjects it to income tax.  However, itemizing your deductions makes you eligible for an income tax charitable deduction, lessening the tax burden.

What ever you decide, please know how appreciated your support is to the ROAR Program — and to the animals and people on the Native American reservation communities we serve.

If you have any questions regarding planned giving, please contact our Planned Giving Department at (877) 853-6474.  You are also encouraged to consult with your legal and financial advisors when considering a planned gift.

Have questions?

Click here to request more information or visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section!

Compare alternatives with our Planned Giving Options page.