Strategy Tip:
If you come to the end of a calendar year and determine that you will have a greater income that year than expected, a charitable gift made by credit card is one way to accelerate a deduction into one calendar year and actually pay for the gift in the following year.

The transfer of stock from a donor to Wharton is a fairly simple transaction. Morgan Stanley serves as the University’s main brokerage firm. The donor will need to work directly with his or her broker to initiate a transfer of stock to The Wharton School. If the donor holds certificates, it is best if those certificates remain unendorsed and the donor completes a separate stock power form authorizing transfer of ownership from the donor to Wharton. Remember to notify the Office of Gift Planning at 215.898.6171 and the University’s Treasurer’s Office at 215.898.7254 when transferring securities.

Strategy Tip:
If a donor wishes to maintain stock holdings in a specific company, it may make sense to give appreciated shares to Wharton and then buy an equivalent number of shares with cash, thus establishing a new, higher cost basis.

However, careful planning for the disposition of retirement plan assets can help to avoid undesirable tax costs. Naming Wharton as the beneficiary of a retirement plan will reduce the size of a taxable estate and avoid income taxation on those funds. In certain situations, a charitable gift of a retirement account can improve the donor’s overall tax consequences, increase the amounts passing to heirs, and escape income and estate taxes.

Strategy Tip:
A simple form from the manager of the retirement fund is all that is required to name the Wharton School as a beneficiary.

The donor must submit a copy of a qualified appraisal with his/her income tax return for the year of the gift. Also, IRS Form 8283 must be submitted and signed by Wharton acknowledging receipt of the gift. The University of Pennsylvania carefully examines each piece of real estate prior to its acceptance as a gift in order to ensure its usefulness to the University.

Strategy Tip:
Real estate gifts take a number of steps to complete. Contact the Wharton early in your planning to facilitate the efficient gathering of information.

If the property is valued at more than $5,000, the donor must obtain a qualified appraisal and file IRS Form 8283 with his/her income tax return. Penn must also sign Form 8283 indicating receipt of the gift. If the property is valued at more than $500 but less than $5,000, an appraisal is not required but Form 8283 must still be completed and submitted with the donor’s income tax return.

Strategy Tip:
The cost of obtaining a qualified appraisal for a gift of personal property may be a deductible miscellaneous expense for income tax purposes, subject to IRS limitations.

Make checks payable to
“The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania”