Three Powerful Steps for a Donor-Advised Fund: Donate High, Invest Low, Grant Later
Three Powerful Steps for a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF): Donate High, Invest Low, Grant Later TL;DR: Donor-advised funds let you contribute appreciated assets in a high-income year to claim a deduction, then invest the proceeds inside the DAF and recommend grants over time. The key is separating what you donate (stock, crypto, RSUs/ESPP, real estate, alternatives) […]
Why Selling Before Donating Is a Costly Tax Mistake (Stock & Crypto)
Why Selling Before Donating Is a Costly Tax Mistake (Stock, Crypto, Real Estate Examples) TL;DR: Selling appreciated assets before donating permanently reduces your tax benefit. Using a $100,000 asset with a $50,000 cost basis, donating directly can produce an effective tax benefit of roughly 59%, while selling first drops that benefit to about 38%. The […]
DAF vs CRT Deduction Limits Under the Big Beautiful Bill (2026)
2026 DAF Deduction Limits Under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill: What High W-2 Earners Need to Know TL;DR: Starting in 2026, Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act adds a 0.5% AGI floor for itemized charitable deductions and limits the value of itemized deductions to 35% for top-bracket taxpayers. Here’s how to plan DAF contributions, bunching, […]
DAF vs CRT: Donor-Advised Fund vs Charitable Remainder Trust
CRT vs DAF (Big Beautiful Bill 2026): High W-2 in High-Tax States TL;DR (Quick Summary) If you’re a high W-2 earner in a high-tax state like California or New York and you hold appreciated assets, this guide compares a donor-advised fund (DAF) versus a charitable remainder trust (CRT) under Big Beautiful Bill 2026 context. In […]
How High W-2 Earners Can Cut Taxes by 50%+ by Donating Appreciated Assets (2026)
How High W-2 Earners Can Cut Taxes by 50%+ by Donating Appreciated Assets (2026 update) TL;DR (Quick Summary) High W-2 earners in high-tax states can often unlock an effective 50%+ tax benefit by donating appreciated assets (like stock or crypto) instead of selling first: you may be able to deduct the fair market value (if […]