Wealth Clarity Blog

How often do you let your daily life and your meetings and your conversations go on auto pilot; just letting them happen, not “really” expecting anything from them, and also not fully showing up, holding something back, and limiting your full participation, not really saying what you wish you could?  As I have become aware of this pattern in myself, it has been more often than I wanted to admit.  However, I also noticed that certain days were more fulfilling than others, and upon introspection determined it was because of meaningful conversations I had on those days.

As I have written about frequently over the past year, I have been spending a great deal of time exploring my personal values with the goal of living a more integrated and fulfilling life.  What I’ve experienced so far has shown that alignment between my values and purpose, and my willingness to create an environment where meaningful conversations can happen, ignites energy and passion in a way that is life changing.  Wow, that sounds big I know, but in fact it is that big.

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Guest post by Kendra VanderMeulen, president, Seattle Christian Foundation

Most of us fund our charitable giving with cash.  But, did you know that the most tax-efficient way is to use appreciated stocks?  While the last two years have been bumpy in the stock market, this year has been better and many people have significant appreciation in their portfolios.  Appreciated stock makes a great charitable gift, even if the stock is one you want to continue to hold.

For example, if you want to contribute $20,000 to charity before the end of the year and you have $20,000 worth of stocks with a cost basis of $15,000, you might consider giving the stocks instead of cash.  This would result in a $20,000 tax deduction.   You could then take the $20,000 cash you had planned to give and repurchase the same stocks.  You wind up with the same portfolio position but now you have a $20,000 cost basis in the stocks instead of a $15,000 cost basis.  So you get the double tax benefit of a charitable deduction along with stepped up basis, and your favorite charities get the financial support they need. Continue Reading »

Guest post written by Heather Tuininga, Advisor

It’s that time of year when our mailboxes are full of letters from charities who are doing good work in our community and around the world.  They appeal to our hearts, our conscience and our wallets, with hopes that we care about their cause and still have room for another charitable contribution before the end of the year (to improve our tax situation).

As you read through the deluge of appeals, do any of the following questions come up for you?

1. Do we want to give?
2. How do we decide which organizations to fund?
3. How do we know if they are using our funds wisely?
4. Are there other organizations/people that need our funds more, but can’t afford to send us a fancy end-of-year appeal letter?  If so, how do we find them?
5. Am I giving out of guilt or joy?

As I sift through the letters, I find myself thankful that my husband and I put together a “generosity road map” back in January.  This annual plan enables us to direct our giving funds to the causes and people we care about all year, therefore alleviating any guilt or panic in December when the appeals start arriving and our financial picture/tax situation comes into clearer view.  (If John invites me back, I’ll share more on how to develop a generosity road map in a future blog post.)

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