Verle Williams said the Charitable Remainder Trust he and his wife Mary Sue established with ASHRAE Foundation was “a way of giving back to the industry that helped us make our life together. ASHRAE is the future of this industry, and we were happy to be a part of that.”

Like the Williams, you may have an asset -- securities, real estate or a sum of cash you’d prefer to reinvest in something more productive, but capital gains taxes would take a big bite out of the proceeds. Did you know you can support ASHRAE while benefiting financially?

You avoid any up-front tax on the gain, thereby putting the asset’s full value to work first for you and ultimately for the ASHRAE Foundation to help grow

How a charitable remainder trust works

• Assets are transferred to a trustee designated by you.
• The trustee manages the assets and pays income to you and/or other beneficiaries for life or a term of years. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal is used to benefit the ASHRAE Foundation.
• The amount of income paid to income beneficiaries may be fixed (“annuity trust”) or revalued annually (“unitrust”). An annuity trust offers the security of fixed payments, while a unitrust offers the possibility that payments may grow over time.

Tax benefits

• You receive an income tax deduction for the present value of the projected remainder that will be available to support ASHRAE when the trust terminates.
• Capital gains tax is avoided when appreciated assets are transferred to the trust.

Tailoring a trust to suit your needs

• Provide extra retirement income.
• Assist family members.
• Increase current cash flow.
• Preserve the children's legacy.

To learn more about a charitable remainder trust or to find out about other ways of giving to ASHRAE contact Bert Huffman at bhuffman@ashrae.org, tel: 404.636.8400 ext 1150.