News

  • Clients want to know: What’s deductible and what’s not?

    Whether you are an estate planning attorney, financial advisor, or accountant, you’ve probably seen an uptick in client questions about tax deductions–and tax rules in general–over the last few years. Tax law changes at the end of 2017 have caused a lot of ongoing taxpayer confusion. 

  • Spotting opportunity: Moving from a commercial fund to YouthBridge Community Foundation

    Although a donor-advised fund, which is becoming a more and more popular charitable planning tool, can be established through a national financial institution, YouthBridge Community Foundation offers its donor-advised fund holders much broader services, more personal attention, and deeper connections to the nonprofits whose work is essential to effecting positive community change.

  • Charitable planning and women clients: Three mini-case studies

    Women’s spending power has been in the news over the last several weeks as Taylor Swift’s and Beyonce’s tours continue to break records and the Barbie movie still looms large. As you’ve worked with female clients over the years, you’ve likely noticed a few trends…

  • Gateway Children’s Charity Grant Announcement

    Congratulations to the 2023 Gateway Children’s Charity grantees.

  • September 2023

    IFM Overcomes Healthcare Barriers • St. Louis Community Credit Union Emphasizes “Community” • Inner Workings of Philanthropy • Leadership Opportunity for High School Students • Progress 64 Scholarship • New Grant Partnership • Smart disaster giving can offer predictability to the unpredictable • Keep your eye on clients’ appreciated stock–always • For clients who may sell a business

  • IFM Overcomes Healthcare Barriers

    The first 15 years of Dr. David Campbell’s career were dedicated to medical education, teaching young physicians. Even then, he recounts working to incorporate ‘outreach to the community’ into the curriculum for these young physicians. When Dr. Campbell decided to step away from medical education it was to start a not-for-profit to further this ‘outreach to the community’. In 2000, he formed the Institute for Family Medicine (now named IFM Community Medicine) to advance the goal of providing quality healthcare services to disadvantaged children and families.

  • Keep your eye on clients’ appreciated stock–always

    By August 2022, markets were down 12% for the year and inflation was up 8.3% year-over-year. Perhaps consequently, but then unknown, annual charitable giving was on its way to a rare (fourth time in 40 years) year-over year decline of some 4% according to Giving USA. Certainly this decline was due in part to donors not wanting to give stock at depressed values. You likely even discussed this with your clients! 

  • St. Louis Community Credit Union Emphasizes “Community”

    A Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial institution that accepts deposits, makes loans, and provides a wide array of other financial services and products. This definition only begins to describe St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU). For over 80 years SLCCU has existed to provide residents of the St. Louis region with safe, affordable and accessible financial services and products through caring service and education.

  • For clients who may sell a business, the time to think charitably is right now

    While it all sounds good, business brokers will tell you that many business owners fail to optimize—and they sometimes even compromise—the value of their business’s proceeds by rushing the process, hastily determining an asking price, or not fully assessing the value of their business to a potential buyer. In their haste, owners often miss strategies that can deliver an improved post-sale result and a true reward for their years of work.

  • Smart disaster giving can offer predictability to the unpredictable

    Sadly, rarely does a month go by without the news of another disaster or humanitarian tragedy. Most recently, the Maui fires and Hurricane Idalia are making the headlines–and also generating widespread charitable support. Indeed, many of your clients are no doubt supporting relief efforts through monetary donations.

  • Inner Workings of Philanthropy

    Partnering with a community foundation has myriad advantages for philanthropic donors. We’re pleased to share an informative, in-depth interview YouthBridge’s CEO, Barbara Carswell, gave to Vance Crowe in June, 2023 about different benefits foundations such as YouthBridge offer to both donors and the nonprofits that receive these funds.

  • The Progress 64 Entrepreneurial Scholarship

    The Progress 64 Entrepreneurial Scholarship was established by Progress 64 West, a partnership of citizens, businesses, and civic leaders. The Scholarship aims to support, encourage, and foster young entrepreneurs who go to school or live in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, or St. Charles County.

  • August 2023

    Back to School in “One Classroom” • The Power of a Pencil • Michele Mosley, Director of Development & Marketing • Capacity Building Grant Program • Impact Investing in Greater St. Louis • Structure is a critical step in multi-generational philanthropy • Legacy giving: A conversation that’s full of opportunity • Stories that caught our attention

  • The Power of a Pencil

    Remember the excitement of that new backpack, new box of crayons or freshly sharpened pencils – especially on the first day of school? Over 90,000 St Louis area kids share that joy because of the efforts of KidSmart. Founded in 2002, KidSmart’s mission is to empower children in need to succeed in school by providing free essential tools for learning.

  • Back to School in “One Classroom”

    “Inclusion” is defined as the state of being included or being made a part of something. Thanks to One Classroom, children with physical or intellectual disabilities are now educated in the general classroom of many Catholic schools in the St. Louis area. Rather than being segregated from their age peers, students’ individualized needs are addressed in the classroom as they work toward their individual potential.

  • Stories that caught our attention  

    Emojis are fun, but . . . Words matter, and apparently, emojis do, too. At least in Canada, where a judge recently ruled that a thumbs-up emoji within a text message qualified as acceptance of a contract despite the sender’s alternate intentions stated later—and at an … More →

  • Legacy giving: A conversation that’s full of opportunity

    August is National Make-A-Will Month. This means your clients may be reading articles and hearing about estate planning more this month than usual, which makes the next few weeks an especially good time to prompt your clients to review their estate plans–or get their wills and … More →

  • Helping your clients get organized: Structure is a critical step in multi-generational philanthropy

    Instilling the idea of charitable giving in children and grandchildren at first blush may appear to be easy, but where to begin, and how to make it ongoing? More and more, wealth advisors are being asked by their clients to weigh in on strategies for fostering a family’s financial values, which frequently include charitable giving traditions. 

  • July 2023

    St. Francis Community Services Emphasizes Reading with YEP Grant • Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis Supports Families • Gateway Children’s Charity • How “catch-up” contributions can boost clients’ giving • Advising clients about AI’s impact on charitable giving​​​​​​​ • Our reading selections

  • YEP Grant Recipient: Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis Supports Families

    The mission of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis is to serve, support and celebrate the lives of all individuals with Down syndrome and their families, through every stage of life. The pillar of the organization is family support from the moment that a family receives notice that their unborn child may have Down syndrome through the end of the loved one’s life – and even beyond.