Some individuals or families wish to leave behind a significant donation at the time that they pass away. A charitable remainder trust is one estate planning tool to help you do this. You’ll want to consult with an estate planning lawyer to decide whether or not this is the right instrument for you. There are several different steps involved in the creation of a trust like this. The first is to meet with your lawyer to discuss your intentions and to ensure this is the appropriate step.

You will also want to make sure that your chosen charity is approved by the IRS. You can then transfer the assets that you intend to go to that charity into the trust and appoint the charity as the trustee of the trust. This gives the charity the power to invest or manage the property inside. Within the trust provisions created by your estate planning lawyer, there should be an explanation about who is to receive income from the property of the trust. This can be you, as the creator of the trust or someone else that you choose.

You may want to receive income payments for the rest of your life or for a predetermined number of years and you can discuss the various advantages and disadvantage of this with your estate planning lawyer. Any property remaining in the trust at the time you pass away will then be transferred to the charity. If you would like to discuss creating a charitable remainder trust, schedule a consultation with an estate planning lawyer today.