Advisor

2025 action required: Last call for current tax rules

As you counsel clients through year-end tax planning, YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis encourages you to remind them that 2025 presents a critical window of opportunity for charitable giving before major provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) take effect on January 1, 2026. The new law could significantly reshape the tax treatment of charitable contributions in ways that may reduce the tax value of gifts made after this year.

A key to client retention: Consider charitable planning

Retaining clients is a cornerstone of long-term business success, no matter the profession or industry. As the saying goes, keeping an existing client—and earning additional work from that client—is far easier and more cost-effective than securing a new client. For professionals who work in estate, tax, and financial planning, this principle becomes especially important during one of the most delicate stages of engagement: the period following a client’s death.

Planning for clients’ incapacity: Why charitable intentions matter 

The team at YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis is honored to work with attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors to help clients turn generosity into lasting impact. Of course, as you work with your charitable clients, you routinely determine the best way to incorporate philanthropic intentions into wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations. But how frequently do you document clients’ charitable intentions explicitly as part of incapacity planning?

Donor-advised funds: Flexible, tax-friendly, and just the beginning

As attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, you’ve no doubt noticed that financial publications’ coverage of donor-advised funds is increasing. This is no surprise, considering that these popular vehicles can help your clients achieve both their financial and philanthropic goals.

Bread and butter strategy: QCDs for clients 70½ and older

Provisions enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are prompting renewed focus on strategies that merge tax efficiency with meaningful community impact. Among the most powerful tools in this space for clients age 70½ and older is the Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD.

Rare but powerful “charitable exits”: Know it when you see it 

If your client base includes business owners, you’re no doubt at least generally aware of the benefits of giving closely-held business interests to charity. Beyond that, though, the details may get fuzzy. The key is to be able to recognize the opportunity so you can reach out to YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis team to help you make the most of it for your client.

Two reasons to celebrate charitable giving*

For many attorneys, financial advisors, and CPAs, estate planning is part of your client conversations every single month, week, and day of the year. You never hesitate to remind clients to update their wills, trusts, and financial plans as circumstances change in their lives.

Three clients. Three solutions. One common theme.

We’ve rounded the corner into the fourth quarter! As the calendar year draws to a close, you’re likely well aware that charitable giving is not only important to your clients first and foremost as an act of generosity, but also as a powerful tool in tax planning. 

Inherited IRAs: A charitable solution?

Remember the good old days when your clients could withdraw the money they inherited in their parents’ IRAs over the course of their lifetimes, thereby deferring the income tax for as long as possible? This so-called “stretch IRA” was largely eliminated by the SECURE Act of 2019, requiring most non-spouse beneficiaries to withdraw the entire inherited IRA within 10 years, rather than stretching withdrawals over their lifetime.

Floor to ceiling: Four factors that will influence corporate giving now and later

At YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis, we work with business leaders and business owners to structure charitable giving plans that achieve the company’s goals for its employees and the community. In many cases, corporate giving strategies include donating to local charities, whether directly or through a corporate fund at YouthBridge.

Tongue twister: OBBBA, IRAs, QCDs, and FAQs 

If your head is spinning, it’s for a good reason! Let’s face it–the rules for using IRAs to give to charity were complicated before the OBBBA got thrown into the mix. Let’s address five frequently asked questions we’ve been hearing from attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors as you counsel your charitable clients. 

One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Three big picture pointers

“So what does it mean for charitable planning, really?” That’s a question our team has been fielding from attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors ever since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law on July 4, 2025.

Gifts of artwork: Worth a look, but be careful

If you’ve noticed a surprising uptick in recent years among your younger clients investing in artwork, it is not your imagination! A survey of 1,007 U.S. high net worth individuals (each with at least $3 million in investable assets) found that 83% of respondents aged 43 and under said they currently own or would like to own art—compared with only 34% of those older than 43.

Quiet types: Spotting clients who prefer to give anonymously

At YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis, we’re dedicated to helping your clients achieve their charitable goals. We’re honored to serve as your trusted resource for tax-efficient giving strategies, help your clients maximize their charitable impact, and support your clients as they build lasting philanthropic legacies.

Timing is everything: Mapping out clients’ 2025 charitable giving plans

It’s never been easy to navigate the ever-shifting tax rules to help clients structure charitable gifts, and now it’s even trickier. Major changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, are creating complexity, opportunity, and, for some, urgency.

Start with numbers: A case study for charitable clients

As an estate planning, tax, or wealth advisor, you play a critical role in helping your clients maximize the impact of charitable giving while also optimizing tax benefits. Unfortunately, a 2023 survey found that only 19.2% of advisors regularly discuss charitable giving with clients, and … More →

Charitable mindset: What are clients thinking?

Don’t you wish you could read your clients’ minds? Understanding what clients really care about is crucial to constructing any estate or financial plan. When it comes to charitable giving, you can be a step ahead. Plenty of research offers clues about what matters most … More →

Donating business interests: Why a fund at YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis is the ideal recipient

If your client base includes business owners, you probably weren’t surprised by this observation in a recent Wall Street Journal article about the “stealthy wealthy”: “Behind a paycheck, the largest source of income for the 1% highest earners in the U.S. isn’t being a partner … More →

Easier than you might think: Moving a donor-advised fund to YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis

As you advise clients on charitable giving, you’re likely aware of the growing popularity of the donor-advised fund as a flexible, tax-efficient tool for philanthropy. Many families appreciate how donor-advised funds can streamline giving, foster family engagement, and serve as a launchpad for deeper community … More →

More questions than answers: Pending tax legislation

There’s little doubt that you’ve seen extensive news coverage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1) that passed the House of Representatives by a 215-214 vote on May 22, 2025, and now moves to the Senate, where significant changes are expected before final passage. … More →