Remain in Your Home (or Farm) While Making a Gift

You can make a gift of your residence or farm to the American Floral Endowment but reserve the right to use the property for the rest of your life. "Residence" includes condominiums as well as a house, and it can be either your primary residence or a vacation home.

You receive an income tax chartable deduction now without altering your lifestyle. In the event you have to move from the premises, you have several options that could result in a lump sum of cash or income to you:

• Rent the property and retain the rental income.
• Contribute the life tenancy and receive an additional charitable deduction.
• Contribute the life tenancy to a charitable remainder trust.
• Sell the property and allocate the proceeds with AFE, according to the then values of the life and remainder interests.
• Sell your life estate to a third party.

How a Retained Life Estate Gift Works
Mrs. N, age 75, whose husband died several years ago, lives alone in a home valued at $700,000. She deeds the property to the American Floral Endowment, reserving the right to live in it for the rest of her life. She continues to live in the home, paying her insurance, taxes, utilities and minor repairs, as always. By making her gift now rather than making it through her will, Mrs. N receives an income tax charitable deduction to begin saving on her taxes immediately. Based on a charitable deduction of approximately $440,000, Mrs. N will save $110,000 in income taxes over the next six years (assuming a 25% tax bracket), and she has removed a substantial asset from her potentially taxable estate.

To find out more about gifts of retained life estate, please contact AFE at (703) 838-5211.