Looking for a way to give Make-A-Wish a significant gift? If you own property that has gone up in value such as a stock or real property, you would like to minimize your capital gains taxes if you sold it and are looking for ways to receive reliable payments, you may want to check out the advantages of setting up a charitable remainder trust. 

Benefits of a charitable remainder trust include: 

• A partial charitable income tax deduction 
• Potential for increased income 
• Up-front capital gains tax avoidance 

There are two ways to receive payments with charitable remainder trusts: 

1. The annuity trust pays you, each year, the same dollar amount you choose at the start. Your payments stay the same, regardless of fluctuations in trust investments. 

2. The unitrust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. The amount of your payments is re-determined annually. If the value of the trust increases, so do your payments. If the value decreases, however, so will your payments.