Establishing a CRT

The IRS has issued sample literature for several different types of Charitable Trusts (CRAT's, CRUT's, single life, joint life, etc,) however; this is not a "do it yourself" area of Estate Planning. Small simple errors can create major consequences and even disqualify the trust altogether.

For example, you may want to name your Donor Advised Funds Account as the charitable recipient for the remainder interest of your Charitable Trust. Certain provisions should be included in your trust document to allow for that to happen. Without these provisions, the Donor Advised Funds Account may not be able to receive the remainder. This is one example of why it's important to have a competent attorney who is familiar with CRT's assist in setting up an appropriate CRT document suited to meet your individual needs and goals.

The financial advisor handling a CRT investment account needs to be aware of the proper way to manage assets inside of a CRT. Assets inside a CRT account need to managed differently than a typical brokerage account most advisors are accustomed to managing. Four-tier accounting, the accounting methods used in CRTs, makes managing assets in a CRT a necessary specialty. Again, there are a few small errors a financial advisor can make that can create serious problems for the Charitable Remainder Trust and can even cause the trust to be disqualified or taxable by the IRS. Because of these differences, it is important that the Financial Advisor managing a Charitable Trust account be well versed on the topic of CRT's and how to properly manage those accounts. Click here for a copy of our CRT Financial Advisor Questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to help you evaluate the CRT knowledge of a financial advisor you may be considering to manage your CRT assets.

Harding Financial Services, LLC

Tom Harding is the owner and Author of CharitableRemainderTrust.com. Since the web site was established back in 1998 Tom and his staff have advised people in nearly every state on the topic of Charitable Estate Planning. Tom has also worked with numerous Charities and Universities assisting donors with Charitable Planning to benefit those charities and institutions as well as the donors themselves.

“We operate the branch with a TEAM approach”. All the financial advisors in the branch are proficient in the area of Charitable Estate Planning. One of the partners is also a CPA. "By focusing our efforts on charitable estate planning we can help donors manage their charitable funds appropriately, the TEAM approach helps us deliver top quality advice and assistance with a high degree of service".

We also shop for the best rates for insurance policies if a Wealth Replacement Trust is included with the charitable plan. With the top quality services and products available to us we have the ability to manage the assets in a fee based or commission based account. Because we are independent, we can often deliver our services at lower costs than most full service brokerage firms without sacrificing quality and service. Simply put, this is the area of the financial services business we have decided to focus on. That focus and experience is a benefit we bring to the table for anyone looking to include a charitable aspect to their estate plan.

Let us help you establish your CRT

We have the knowledge, skills and recourses to properly manage your CRT based on your charitable estate planning goals.
Go ahead and contact us today to explore the options of establishing a Charitable Remainder Trust. We think you will find it a rewarding and pleasant experience. A Financial Advisor is available Toll Free at: 800-535-4720 Monday thru Friday 9-5 EST to answer your questions and can help you determine the best way to go about establishing your CRT account today.

Harding Financial Services, LLC
The information contained on this site is for educational purposes only, it is not intended to be professional tax or legal advise; consult a tax advisor about your specific situation.