The world of planned giving is complex and fascinating. It is squarely at the intersection of philanthropy and estate planning, but it also overlaps with the areas of law, taxation, investments, and human behavior. There are so many nuances and specialty areas of knowledge that the gift planning professional can easily become overwhelmed and lose sight of the core issues. We at PG Calc hesitate to say, “we’ve seen it all,” but in some ways, we have!

We produce software for gift planning and gift administration, and we provide a wide array of services ranging from consulting to web services. We thought it might be helpful to pause for a moment and share what we’ve identified as the top 10 lessons (this is the first installment of 5) in planned giving that we have learned over the 37 years of our company’s existence. These are not necessarily in order of importance or relevance, and of course, they represent only a tiny portion of the knowledge required for any modern-day gift planner.

The world of planned giving is complex and fascinating. It is squarely at the intersection of philanthropy and estate planning, but it also overlaps with the areas of law, taxation, investments, and human behavior. There are so many nuances and specialty areas of knowledge that the gift planning professional can easily become overwhelmed and lose sight of the core issues. We at PG Calc hesitate to say, “we’ve seen it all,” but in some ways, we have!

We produce software for gift planning and gift administration, and we provide a wide array of services ranging from consulting to web services. We thought it might be helpful to pause for a moment and share what we’ve identified as the top 10 lessons (this is the first installment of 5) in planned giving that we have learned over the 37 years of our company’s existence. These are not necessarily in order of importance or relevance, and of course, they represent only a tiny portion of the knowledge required for any modern-day gift planner.

One of the planned giving trends that has evolved in recent years is the voluntary termination of life income gift arrangements. While not a part of the original intent in the creation of these gift plans, surrendering the remaining lifetime income in these split-interest gifts has become popular for a number of reasons. Certainly, there are obvious benefits to the sponsoring charitable organizations – these terminations eliminate the charity’s ongoing liability for payments, and of course, they receive the remainder amounts sooner than otherwise would be the case – but there are also benefits to the donors who relinquish their interests.

Here’s the problem:
The ACGA, in an April 2021 communication, informed its members that the ACGA suggested maximum payout rates exceed the current maximum payout rates allowed by the State of New York at the typical ages of most gift annuitants. While there are a number of states that regulate gift annuities, New York is the only one that issues its own maximum allowable gift annuity payout rates for its residents. Until recently, the ACGA suggested maximum payout rates have been consistently lower than the New York maximum rates.

What we have determined:  
Our recent analysis revealed that the ACGA rates exceed the maximum New York rates applicable to gift annuities funded in April – June 2021 for females at ages 46 through 91 and for males at ages 46 through 86. That’s pretty much the age group for new gift annuities! Please note, the NY maximum payout rates are published only for 1-life annuities, and they are gender-specific. The state does not currently publish maximum payout rates for 2-life gift annuities, or for any type of deferred gift annuities.