There are many ways in which you can support Catholic.net online evangelization. We are a non-profit, 501 (c) 3, organization, so most of your donation also returns to you as federal and state tax benefits. You can set up recurring donations using your ATM or credit card, you can also make gifts of appreciated securities like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, and planned gifts that may benefit you and your loved ones during your life on earth and leave a legacy gift to Catholic.net when you go to your eternal reward.

Below we provide some basic information on some of these types of gifts.  However, in every case we strongly recommend that you contact your legal and financial advisors to determine your individual tax and financial consequences and what is best for your personal financial situation.

For more information on planned gifts please contact: contact@catholic.net

Donate Stocks and Bonds

A new report by Fidelity Investments shows that American donors could have realized $4.5 billion in additional tax savings if they gave appreciated securities instead of cash, but most are not aware of the advantages.

Just 5 percent of respondents indicated having made a donation of appreciated securities to charities over the past three years. Even among respondents who gave more than $5,000 in 2006, just 17 percent reported donating securities to charity.

Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Fund shares held for more than one year can be given as a gift, and capital gains tax benefits may apply when donating these assets. (The present value of these is counted for tax deduction purposes, yet you do not normally pay tax on the difference between your original cost and the present, higher value - which would happen if you were to cash them before donating them.) Appreciated Securities can be used for an outright gift or to fund a planned gift.

Appreciated Property

Assets in this category include personal residences, vacation homes and farms as well as personal property such as collectible items and jewelry. A capital gains tax benefit may apply when donating these assets. Appreciated Property can also be used for an outright gift and some properties can be used to fund a planned gift.

Assignment Gifts

Assets in this category include items that can be 'signed over' to a beneficiary or a charitable organization, such as life insurance policies, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's), bank accounts, pension plans, and other items. Assignment gifts can be given during one's lifetime or through a will bequest. Assignment gifts make easy outright gifts and, in some cases, they can also fund a planned gift.

Charitable Gift Annuity

A creative way to 'give and receive,' the Charitable Gift Annuity is one of the oldest, simplest and most popular methods of making a deferred charitable gift. With a Gift Annuity, the principal of the gift remains invested for the life of the contract and after the death of the last surviving beneficiary, the remaining principal becomes a gift to Catholic.net.

The annuity rate is determined by the birth dates of the income beneficiaries at the time the annuity is established, and the minimum age to establish a gift with immediate payments is 50. An income tax deduction is given in the year the gift is made and capital gains tax benefits may apply when funding the gift annuity with appreciated securities.

Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity

The facts regarding the Deferred Gift Annuity are same as the above Charitable Gift Annuity. The only difference is that the annuity payments are deferred to begin at a future date at least one year from the date the gift is established. The longer the payments are deferred, the higher the rate of return. This is an excellent way to supplement retirement income with the assurance of a guaranteed fixed rate of return. The Deferred Gift Annuity can be established as a single-life or two-life, and after the death of the last surviving beneficiary, the remaining principal will go directly to Catholic.net.

Charitable Trusts

The Charitable Trust is another creative gift that allows a donor to 'give and receive' and is also an excellent way to supplement retirement income or healthcare costs. Every trust is individually unique as it is established to meet the individual's needs and charitable intent. Funding assets may include cash, appreciated securities, real estate or business interests. Capital gain tax benefits may apply when funding a trust with appreciated assets.

Will or Living Trust Bequests

Establishing a personal Will or Living Trust offers peace of mind through the assurance that one has made known how personal assets should be distributed after death. Bequests can be designated to Catholic.net in several different ways, such as:

• Stating a specific amount or specific asset
• Stating a percentage
• Designating the remainder or residual of estate holdings

Will

"Intestate" is the term for a person who dies without a formal, legal will. If this occurs, everything you possess is given away by strangers to other strangers. A well-planned will puts you in charge. It is your directive to everyone else about your personal wishes, such as:

• Distributing cash, investments, real estate, and personal property to family and other loved ones
• Providing property management for heirs who may not be prepared to manage their financial affairs
• Reducing taxes and estate settlement costs
• Making "gifts of a lifetime" to charitable interests

Bequests:  Gifts left to Catholic.net in your will

A bequest can take one of the following forms:

• You designate a specific dollar amount to be transferred to one or more charities.
• You can designate property assets, such as real estate, artwork and other valuables to be used to fund a charitable gift.
• A percentage of your estate plan can be designated for charitable purposes to ensure that the relative values of your gifts remain equal.
• You can determine that what remains after all other gifts to loved ones have been fulfilled goes to charity.

You should contact your attorney when writing your Will for the first time or updating it through a Codicil. Our legal title and address are as follows: Catholic.net Inc., 9 Larkspur CT, Bedminster, NJ 07921. If you've already decided to include Catholic.net in your will, and you have contacted your legal and financial advisors, here are some sample statements that you can immediately include:

As residual:

I, _____, give, devise and bequeath all the residue of my estate, including real and personal property, to Catholic.net Inc., 9 Larkspur CT, Bedminster, NJ 07921.

As a percentage:

I, _____, give, devise and bequeath an amount equal to ____% of my estate to Catholic.net Inc., 9 Larkspur CT, Bedminster, NJ 07921.

As a specific amount:

I, _____, give, devise and bequeath the sum of $_____ to Catholic.net., 9 Larkspur CT, Bedminster, NJ 07921.