Planned giving

Build a legacy for your giving with Raymond James Charitable

If you are charitably inclined, you may want to consider these ways to document your giving desires in your estate plan.

Naming Raymond James Charitable as a beneficiary

As an individual, you have the opportunity to name Raymond James Charitable as a beneficiary of your will, trust, IRA, annuity contract or life insurance policy. By doing so, you can create a “planned gift” that will be distributed to Raymond James Charitable after your death. Because Raymond James Charitable is a 501(c)(3) public charity, naming Raymond James Charitable as a beneficiary functions like a charitable deduction. Raymond James Charitable will place the funds into the account you name at the endowment fund, invest the dollars for potential tax-free growth, and distribute the funds to charities you request at the frequency you desire.

Wills
You can leave money to charity in your will with a charitable bequest. Simply decide what percentage of your estate, dollar amount or assets you wish to give to Raymond James Charitable. Once the net value of your taxable estate is determined, your gifts typically qualify as charitable deductions. There are no limits on the amount that can be deducted for qualified charitable gifts against the estate tax.

Charitable trusts
Naming Raymond James Charitable as beneficiary of a charitable trust gives you the flexibility to support multiple charities even beyond the term of the trust and change your selected charities without requiring legal revisions to the trust documents. If you have an existing charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust, it may be possible to switch your beneficiary to Raymond James Charitable.

IRAs, annuity contracts and life insurance policies
Another option is to name Raymond James Charitable as sole beneficiary on your IRA, annuity contract or life insurance policy, which also has the potential to reduce the size of your taxable estate.

Keep in mind, for an insurance company to agree to issue a life insurance policy where the beneficiary is a charity, there typically have to be examples of giving in the past. This approach tends to work best for those who originally opened a policy to benefit a dependent who no longer needs the funds. To explore this option further, talk to your retirement plan advisor or life insurance provider

With this type of agreement, you can:

  • Designate donor advisors who will make recommendations for grants and investments
  • Request that periodic grants be made to a specific eligible charity (Raymond James Charitable can help you find a similar charity if your selection no longer exists)
  • Request that periodic grants be made to eligible charities in one or more areas of charitable interest

To set up this type of arrangement:

  • Complete and submit the Planned Gift Donor Account Application.
  • In a will or trust, your attorney needs to use the legal name “Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund” as the name of the beneficiary.
  • Your attorney can also include “for the benefit of …” and mention the intended account name (e.g., the Smith Family Foundation).
  • In the case of an IRA, annuity contract or life insurance policy, most beneficiary designation forms require the tax ID number of the beneficiary. The tax ID of Raymond James Charitable is 59-3652538.
  • Have a consultant at Raymond James Charitable review the language to make sure it is set correctly before finalizing.