Nifty 50: Top Philanthropists Giving Even More

While overall giving may be growing only slightly, the largest donors in the United States are increasing their gifts by tremendous amounts, according to BusinessWeek’s third annual rankings of the Top 50 U.S. Philanthropists.

For instance, Bill and Melinda Gates donated their entire stock dividend worth $3 billion! That's more than the entire Walton family of Wal-Mart fame have given in their entire lifetimes. The other big gift was from the estate of Susie Buffet (Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway's wife) of $2.5 billion.

For the rundown, go to the article - The Top Givers (registration required).

We're In the Money: Millionaires Growing at Record Rate

The number of households with more than one million dollars in net worth (excluding primary residence) has risen to a record high as well as at a record rate, according to new research released today by TNS Financial Services. According to the latest Affluent Market Research Program (AMRP), TNS’ annual survey of wealthy U.S. households, the number has shot to 8.2 million as of mid-2004, a 33 percent increase over last year. The addition of two million households to the high net worth market is the largest increase ever recorded by the study, which began monitoring this group in 1981.

A Bypass Trust Can Assist Wealthy Couples

For married couples with estates valued at more than the federal estate-tax exemption, a bypass trust can sharply reduce the potential burden. Bypass trusts also offer a few other important benefits. (Source: The Houston Chronicle)

Donor Advised Fund Reforms Welcomed

Based on hearings that took place last June, and its own research, the US Senate Finance Committee’s staff has proposed a number of recommendations to more closely regulate donor advised funds. The Non-Profit Times reports that these reforms are being welcomed by a number of leaders in the field.

The National Philanthropic Trust, along with other leading providers of donor advised funds, has always supported strict compliance with existing tax law, and has been a leading advocate for establishing model standards of practive. In fact, NPT, and a number of peers, are already doing what these proposals recommend.

While a couple of the proposals should be modified, to ensure the costs of providing this valuable charitable giving vehicle remain as low as possible, and the details of others still need to defined, overall it should help the market as a whole.

Bigger Estates - Fewer Estate Taxes

According to a new report from the IRS, the number of Americans who left large fortunes increased, but the overall amount of estate taxes declined.

A major factor was the decline in the estate tax rate, and increases to the exclusion rate that were passed as part of President Bush's tax overhaul in 2001. Estate taxes only apply to estates greater than $1 million, up from $675,000, and double for married couples.

The number of estates reporting income over $20 million increased nearly 8-percent, form 469 to 505, and the average value these estates was $62 million. Overall the estate tax generated 20.7 billion in 2003, a decline of more than 12% from estates of $1 million or more than in 2001, despite a 1.4 percent increase in total value of such states.

While the maximum estate tax rate is 49% (for 2003), and will decline, 1% each year following (48% in 2004, 47% in 2005, 46% in 2006, and 45% 2007-2009), the average estate tax paid by estates of $1 million-$2.5 million feel to 11.2% from 15.2. For the ultra wealthy, their average estate tax rate was dropped to 16.5% from 18.4%.