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eRate Newsletter | December 16, 2020

IRS DISCOUNT RATE: January 0.6%

Tax Implications of the Next President

In this article we will speculate and offer commentary about impending changes to Federal tax policy and the possible impacts on charitable giving. However, written on the eve of America's transition to the Biden/Harris administration and the beginning of the 117th Congress, there's a good chance that parts of it will pass into the category of "things we know for sure that just ain’t so."

Nevertheless, it is worth exploring some of the potential tax proposals with a focus on those that could have a direct impact on charitable gift planning and to consider strategies and ways in which donors might adapt their giving to accommodate new tax realities because, as the management guru Peter Drucker said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

 

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WEBINAR TOMORROW

Notice: To accommodate clients currently not able to view PG Calc webinars in a group, all registrants will receive a link to a recording of the webinar that they can share with colleagues at their organization. Ordinarily, the recording is available within 1-2 weeks of the live session. Alternatively, additional participants at the same organization who wish to attend the live session may do so for just $25 each.

Blended Gifts and Collegial Collaboration

Presented by
Jeff Lydenberg

Thursday,
December 17, 2020
1:00 - 2:30 pm ET

REGISTER

UPCOMING TRAINING

PGM to PGM Anywhere FREE

December 22, ONLINE (90 Minutes)

PGM to PGM Anywhere FREE

January 7, ONLINE (90 Minutes)

PGM Anywhere and Gift Annuities

January 13-14, ONLINE (4 hours over 2 days)

PGM to PGM Anywhere FREE

January 26, ONLINE (90 Minutes)

VIEW

PGM Anywhere Quick Tip

 

Quick Tip: Why the "Year Projection Ends" Differs Between PGM Anywhere and PGM Desktop

Clients who compare projections produced by PGM Anywhere and Planned Giving Manager (PGM desktop) often find that they do not match. The reason typically is because the projections have been run for a different numbers of years.

The difference can be traced to the default value for the "Year projection ends" question. When a gift term is based on lives, this value is computed by the two applications using different mortality tables. PGM desktop uses the 1983 Basic table, the same nearly 40-year-old table used to compute how long a portion of a gift annuity's payments will be tax-free. PGM Anywhere uses the much more recent 2012 IAR table, the table most regulating states have adopted over the last few years for computing minimum reserve requirements for gift annuities. We believe the 2012 IAR table provides a much better estimation of how long a planned gift is likely to last than the 1983 Basic table.

If you want projections produced by PGM Anywhere and PGM desktop to match, you can replace the default entry for "Year projection ends" in one or the other so that the values are the same. In PGM Anywhere, "Year projection ends" appears at the bottom of the Date-Lives-Term window. In PGM desktop, "Year projection ends" appears in its own window in Life Income Projections (Program 3).

Please contact Client Services at 888-474-2252 or support@pgcalc.com if you have any questions.

From the PG Calc Blog:
Preparing for Tax Season

Ready or not, it's year-end again, which leads us right into tax season – that "most wonderful time of the year!" Here is our quick review of the tax reporting process for life income gifts...

Read the full blog post.

Preparing for Tax Season

 

Year-End Giving: When December 31st Matters

 

Year-End Giving: What a Difference a Day Can Make

What prompts the flurry of calendar year-end gifts? That all-important – to many of your donors – current year charitable deduction. A day late, however, and a gift made on January 1st rather than December 31st means the deduction is “lost” for a year. And with the special 100% of AGI limit for cash gifts to public charities available this year only, missing that date could be especially painful. Here is a reminder of the rules for establishing the date of gift.

Cash (Check)

If handed to you in person, the gift is made that date or as of the date on the check, whichever is later. If mailed to you through the U.S. Mail, the gift is made as of the postmark date. Whoever is charged with opening the mail should understand the importance of keeping the envelope. A check might be dated December 31, but if the postmark is January 2, the gift has been made in the new year, not the old.

Stock

When transferred electronically - the most common practice - the gift is complete on the date the shares are received in the charity’s account. If a donor hands over actual paper certificates and powers, then the gift date is determined the same as noted above for cash. If the transfer is completed by reregistering ownership of the shares, the date of the gift is the date of the new stock certificate. Reregistering ownership of stock shares can take up to several weeks, so it is wise for donors to avoid this approach near year-end.

Credit Card

The gift is made as of the date the charge is posted to the donor’s account. The amount charged to the donor is the amount of the gift. Any fee assessed to the charity does not reduce the gift amount; it is a cost absorbed by the charity.

May your organization receive many timely gifts this month!

PG Calc Is Here for You During the Holidays!

Each year the holiday season occurs exactly when planned giving activity reaches its high point. While other professional areas tend to be winding down, gift planning professionals are stretched to the limit, trying to close each and every gift possible before December 31. PG Calc understands that dynamic, and we want you to know, we are here for you! Please rest assured that our Client Services group will be working and available during the last two weeks of December, save for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Don't hesitate to call us if you need help with our software, or if you simply want to discuss a particular gift plan. We'll be with you right up to the end!

During the weeks of December 21 and December 28 we will available during our regular weekday support hours from 8:30 am – 6:30 pm ET, except as follows:

Thursday, December 24: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm ET
Friday, December 25: CLOSED

Thursday, December 31: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm ET
Friday, January 1: CLOSED

Contact Client Services at 888-474-2252 or support@pgcalc.com.

American Council on Gift Annuities

 

ACGA Announces Rates Will Stay the Same

The American Council of Gift Annuities announced December 8 that it will not be revising its current schedule of suggested maximum gift annuity rates. The ACGA Board made this decision at its meeting on November 17, 2020 after reviewing its assumptions underlying the current ACGA rates that went into effect on July 1, 2020. Its announcement noted, in particular, that interest rates have not changed materially since the current rates were announced in May. The ACGA mentioned in the same message that it is embarking on its next decennial study of gift annuitant mortality. It expects to release the results of the study at the next ACGA Conference, which will be in Louisville on April 20-22, 2022.

PG Calc Satisfaction Survey 2020

Last week PG Calc launched a satisfaction survey to gather opinions about our products and services with the goal of better serving our clients. The 5-10 minute survey is intended for clients and non-clients to understand which aspects of our software, gift administration services, consulting, marketing services, and support are most beneficial and what future offerings are of greatest interest.

We value your insights! Complete the survey and include your contact information, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a free year of PGM Service, or if you don’t own PGM, $735 worth of other support, marketing, training, webinars, or consulting.

If you have not already done so, please take the satisfaction survey.

PG Calc Satisfaction Survey

 

TAKE THE SURVEY

Client Feedback From the Survey

Thanks for the feedback we're getting from our clients through the satisfaction survey. Here's what a few had to say:

  • "Keep up the wonderful work. We are very pleased with our partnership."
  • "Missed seeing you at ACGA and NACGP this year. Hope we can meet live next year!"
  • "Your customer service is among the best out there."
  • "Briefly inherited another software program and switched as soon as I could. PG Calc has always been my go-to company."
  • "You guys are awesome! I am always confident that you will provide an excellent solution in a timely manner."
  • "I greatly appreciate how much help you've been to me over the years."
  • "Love that someone actually answers the phone and you get a very prompt response."
  • "I have used PG Calc for over 20 years at 4 nonprofit organizations and have recommended you to many people over the years. Unrivaled customer service. Consistently accurate and comprehensive calculations. Now super easy to use remotely - just in time, too! Thanks."

We look forward to learning more about what you like about PG Calc and how we can serve you better as responses continue to come in.