“I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you’re gonna hear about ‘em.”
And thus begins the traditional Airing of Grievances at the Festivus celebration, a made-up holiday featured in that great sitcom, Seinfeld.
(If you’re already lost or just want a laugh, check out this one-minute video to appreciate the essence of Festivus and the …
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Shrek was a breakout hit in 2001. As I often am with movies, I came late to the Shrek party, having watched it for the first time just the other day with my two little girls. (Spoilers ahead, but you’ve probably seen it already).
You probably watched it in a more timely fashion, and so remember the story: An ornery …
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How do you get started with charitable giving?
No matter how much you give away, we all want our charitable dollars to mean something. Young givers place a premium on knowing their giving has an impact. When we don’t see an easy way to measure that impact, too often we punt on making a decision.
At a recent salon dinner …
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Is a donor-advised fund right for you? How does it work? What are the differences between all the types of donor-advised funds?
These are some of the common questions we addressed on a recent webinar done in partnership with Family Business Magazine. You can sign up to watch the full event here, and I hope you will.
We …
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When I first visited the Stephenson’s home outside of San Francisco, I thought I had the wrong house. After circling the block and returning to the same modest house that supposedly belonged to a long-time, not-insignificant client, I realized something.
The house was right. My mindset was wrong.
Donor-advised funds often get cited as a tool for the wealthy – …
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Should you give to charity even if you aren’t rich?
A recent article by Camilo Maldonado in Forbes posits that just because one isn’t among the super-rich – or perhaps not even fully established in a career and financial life – one can still be charitable with one’s dollars and time.
Let’s go straight to what I consider one of …
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“But I worry about giving up the relationship I have with the groups I support.”
More than a few people express this fear when we are discussing the benefits of a DonorsTrust donor-advised fund. I understand the sentiment. After years of directly supporting certain groups, it feels strange to jump to a more indirect approach.
However, using a donor-advised fund …
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Good news! Giving USA’s annual survey of charitable giving in America reports that overall contributions by Americans in 2017 increased by an inflation-adjusted 3%. Individuals, foundations, and corporations donated more than $400 billion into the non-profit sector, the most ever.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers a nice synopsis of the survey’s findings, as well as an interesting perspective (and …
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Donor-advised funds offer many terrific benefits, but, at the end of the day, DAFs exist to facilitate one goal – making contributions to your favorite charitable causes. Understanding the processes involved in making those grants, both the seen and unseen, allows clients to more easily use their fund to advance their philanthropic goals.
On the surface, the process is simple. …
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In 2003, the Castro regime in Cuba threw 75 dissidents into prison and spread the word that those arrested were drug dealers. In truth, they were merely men who dealt in ideas and actions that questioned the ruling values of the socialist government.
Within days, the wives, partners, sisters, and mothers of these men gathered at church. They wore white …
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