Charitable Annuities or Trusts

Charitable Gift Annuities

WMHT supporters who want to create a legacy for themselves and invest in what's good for our community often find that a Charitable Gift Annuity with WMHT is the ideal choice. You can increase your fixed income for life and support excellence in public broadcasting at the same time. Additionally, we make it easy for you to calculate your rate using our secure and private Gift Calculator.

How It Works

  • You transfer securities or cash worth $10,000 or more to WMHT.
  • You receive an income tax deduction and may save on capital gains tax.
  • WMHT pays a fixed amount to you or loved ones you name, each year, for life. Typically, a portion of these payments is tax-free.
  • When the gift annuity ends, its remaining principal passes to WMHT.

Your Benefits

  • You receive a set dollar amount each year for the rest of your life, or for the lifetime of another dear to you.
  • Rates often exceed traditional investment vehicles.
  • You can choose to have payments start immediately or in the future, an option that might help in setting aside annual income for a future retirement.
  • You will receive an income tax deduction for roughly 20 to 40% of the gift amount and may avoid paying some capital gains tax if you fund your annuity with appreciated stock.
  • Some sample single life annuities rates are: Age 65, 5.7%; Age 70, 6.1%; and Age 82, 8%. Calculate your rate using our secure and private Gift Calculator.
  • You will have the satisfaction of making a significant contribution that benefits you now and creates a legacy of important support for WMHT in the future!
Questions? Our Planned Giving staff will be happy to help you. Call (518) 880-3400.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

Another option is to support WMHT with a charitable remainder trust. A charitable remainder trust allows you to convert assets that have highly appreciated, such as a business, securities or real estate, into income for life--or a term of years--without incurring capital gains tax when the asset is sold. The benefits of charitable remainder trusts are:

  • Income for life or a term of years
  • Potential for low-yielding assets to turn into more income
  • A significant income tax deduction
  • No capital gains tax at the time of the gift if appreciated assets are used to fund the trust
  • Potentially reduced estate taxes and probate costs
To learn more about whether a charitable remainder trust may be the right move for you, contact our Planned Giving staff at (518) 880-3400.

Charitable Lead Trusts

Support both WMHT and your heirs with a charitable lead trust. This can be a useful estate planning strategy for those who are concerned about their heirs receiving a large inheritance at too young an age. The charitable lead trust provides important funding for WMHT's community-supported programming and then passes assets along to heirs at a time when these family members are best able to utilize such a gift. In the process, it is also an exceptional way to transfer property to your children or other heirs at minimal tax cost because a charitable gift/estate tax deduction is allowed for the value of the payments received by WMHT.

There are two types of charitable lead trusts. In a non-grantor charitable lead trust, assets revert to your heirs at the end of the trust term, which may be useful in reducing the cost of intergenerational wealth transfers. In a grantor charitable lead trust, assets revert to you at the end of the trust term, which can be useful if you wish to make a multi-year pledge and incorporate future deductions now.

To learn more about whether a charitable lead trust may be the right move for you, contact our Planned Giving staff at (518) 880-3400.

This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, the services of an attorney or other professional advisor should be obtained.

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Your Legacy at WMHT

Ed Neff

"Each and every day my family and I have the opportunity to learn something from WMHT television and radio. I established a charitable gift annuity so that WMHT can prosper, reach out and achieve goals in the future."

- Ed Neff, Troy, N.Y.