Charitable Remainder Unitrust

The unitrust provides for annual payments of a specified percentage—at least 5% of the value of the trust as it is valued each year—to the designated beneficiary(ies). Since the value of trust assets may vary from year to year, the payments may also vary. At the death of the last income beneficiary, the trust principal is distributed to Holy Cross.

In addition to the income you will receive from the trust, you will also be entitled to a charitable income-tax deduction for the value of our remainder interest in the trust assets.

Gift Range: $100,000 or more

Example: George and Miriam purchased growth stock for $20,000 ten years ago. It is now valued at $100,000, but the annual dividends are only $1,500. Now that they are both 65, they would like to augment their retirement income. To do this, they transfer the stock to a charitable remainder unitrust with a 6% payout rate.

In the first year, they will receive a $6,000 payment—four times the dividends they have been receiving—and those payments will increase in time if the assets of the unitrust appreciate in value. Moreover, they avoid tax on their profit in the stock and receive an income-tax charitable deduction of about $25,831. In their 24% tax bracket, this saves them approximately $6,199 in income taxes (24% of $25,831). The exact amount they can claim as a charitable deduction depends on two factors: the total amount of their charitable gifts for the year (including the deduction described here) and their adjusted gross income. 

When the last beneficiary dies, the unitrust assets will benefit Holy Cross.