Planned Giving Calculator Added to ASHRAE Foundation Website

It is now possible for ASHRAE members to calculate your own benefits of gift plans to benefit ASHRAE Foundation. You can navigate to http://foundation.ashrae.biz and click on Planned Giving on the navigation links on the left side of the screen.

The calculator is designed to provide you with an illustration of the income and tax benefits to which you may be entitled if you make a planned gift to benefit ASHRAE. You can compute the benefits of a gift annuity which is a gift plan that can provide safe, fixed payments for life. The gift annuity is easy to understand and easy to establish.

You can also calculate the benefits of charitable remainder trusts. The remainder trust is a gift plan that, while it also provides lifetime payments, is more flexible than a gift annuity. These trusts can even provide an income stream that has the opportunity to keep pace with inflation.

If you are concerned about the impact of estate and gift taxes on your legacy, you might want to create an illustration of a charitable lead trust. This gift plan allows you to make gifts to ASHRAE Foundation and transfer assets to your heirs at substantially discounted values. This discounting can potentially save millions on estate and gift taxes.

You can click on Gift Annuities for example and you’ll see this link on the page. Click on the link and you’ll navigate to a page that allows you to choose your own gift amounts and whether you want to fund your gift with cash or appreciated securities. The calculator allows you to enter the gift date you would like to use and the ages or birthdates of the gift beneficiaries. You can also request additional information on gift planning opportunities directly from the calculator. Once you have entered all of the information, click on the Calculate button and the gift benefits are displayed.

If you have questions as you enter the relevant information, please use the “Help” button at the bottom of the page.

The calculator allows computing the benefits of gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts. Click on the tabs for each vehicle on the “Planned Giving” page of the Foundation we site to find these calculators. Follow the GiftCalcs link to open the calculator.

The information provided by the online calculator is for illustration only and is based on the information you provide. Your actual benefits may vary depending on the timing of your gift and the specific assets used to fund it. The results do not obligate you in any way. Information contained on the ASHRAE Foundation website should not be considered legal, accounting, or other professional advice.

Click here for more about ASHRAE Foundation and how to give back. Contact us at 404-636-8400, ext. 1201 or foundation@ashrae.org. You can also find us on the web at www.ashrae.org/foundation.