Sep 30

Sep 30 Do Your Giving While Living

This is the best article I've read all week, so I thought I'd share it. It's a Forbes article about Chuck Feeney, 89, a billionaire who gave all his money away and couldn't be happier.

It's an inspiring story. He co-founded Duty-Free Shoppers, the airport retailer, in 1960. He made billions, lived frugally, and gave nearly $8 billion to charities anonymously.

He promotes "Giving While Living" versus funding a foundation at death.

Article link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2020/09/15/exclusive-the-billionaire-who-wanted-to-die-brokeis-now-officially-broke/#44a0ade23a2a

I hope it brings a little "fresh air" to your week.

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA
Aquila Wealth Advisors
(805)250-4552 | eric@aquilawealth.com | www.AquilaWealth.com

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Mar 30

Mar 30 CARES Act and What's in it for me?

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA

Business Owners, Charitable Giving, Financial Planning, Economic Update

What’s inside the $2 trillion CARES Act? What’s in it for me?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is designed to provide relief for individuals and businesses who have been hurt by the outbreak. I won’t try to include all 800+ pages in this email, but here are a few key provisions that you should know about:(1)

One-time cash payment. Taxpayers are eligible for a one-time direct deposit of up to $1,200 per adult ($2,400 per couple) plus $500 per child under age 16. Amounts are reduced for those who make more than $75,000 ($150,000 if married). If you have filed your 2019 taxes already, the IRS will use that income to calculate your payment; if not, they’ll use your 2018 tax filing.

Oct 29

Oct 29 Take your giving strategy to the next level

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA

Charitable Giving

I’ve worked with many deeply giving people who want to give back to their communities. They want to make a lasting impact and make the world a better place. Philanthropy truly enriches their lives, giving them a sense of fulfillment and a greater purpose.

My role as an adviser has been to help them support their charitable giving by creating the right financial strategies to help provide the maximum impact on the causes they care about.

No matter what your values and goals may be, using your values to shape your giving strategies is key to making the biggest impact.

In this month’s AquilaWealth Visual Insights Newsletter, we explored some deep questions. These questions are designed to help you increase the value and impact of your giving. Click here to see it!

Oct 22

Oct 22 What will your legacy be?

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA

Charitable Giving

Most people I know want to make a difference in the world.

They want to know that their time on this planet mattered, and they want to leave some type of legacy behind.

No matter what you want your personal legacy to be, one of the best ways to shape it is by giving back through philanthropy.

Inside this month’s AquilaWealth Visual Insights Newsletter we explore 7 key questions you can use to help you unlock your values and use the power of philanthropy to help shape your legacy.

How does giving support your values?

Which causes are closest to your heart?

Click here to find out how to use your answers to create your personal charitable giving strategy!

Oct 15

Oct 15 How to unlock the value of strategic giving

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA

Charitable Giving

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

How does giving back to your community or donating to a good cause make you feel?

Do you feel stronger in your values?

Like you’re doing your part to make the world a better place?

The famous quote above (frequently misattributed to Winston Churchill) is actually backed up by research. Studies show that we gain a sense of purpose in life through giving and trying to improve the situations of others.1

We explore how you can create a greater impact with your philanthropy and tie it more closely to your values in this month’s AquilaWealth Visual Insights Newsletter.

Inside are 7 key questions you can answer to connect your values more closely to your giving. Click here to check it out!

Oct 8

Oct 8 How to give & get more from philanthropy

Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA

Charitable Giving

Good news! We’re giving more to charity than ever before.[1] One reason is that giving feels good. It gives us a warm glow that can inspire us to keep giving.[2]

That’s probably why charitable contributions have increased by 5% over the past few years1—and experts expect this trend to continue.[3]

That’s promising, but it could be even better.

That’s because about 2 out of 3 people say they want to give more, but they aren’t. Why?

Because they don’t have a giving strategy—and they don’t know what the impact of their giving will be.[4]

In this month’s AquilaWealth Visual Insights Newsletter, we explore the concept of strategic giving and its essential role in maximizing the impact of philanthropy. Click here to see it!

Oct 26

Oct 26 How Bunching Expenses Can Enable Taxpayers to Continue to Itemize

Eric Maldonado

Tax Planning, Charitable Giving

In response to the significant changes to the tax deduction rules under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), many taxpayers are searching for ways to recover some of the tax benefits associated with itemizing deductible expenses that have been eliminated. Taxpayers who were previously able to lower their tax bills by itemizing may want to consider using a “bunching” strategy, which generally means either accelerating or deferring deductible expenses so that more of these expenses fall in a single tax year rather than in multiple tax years.

Sep 20

Sep 20 #Hurricanes and Your Relief Efforts #Florence

Financial Media Exchange

Charitable Giving

Giving is Not Just About Making a Donation – You Make a Difference

There are many opportunities to support disaster-recovery efforts and help people whose lives have been upended by Hurricane Florence, but you should be careful. It's also prime time for scam artists to take advantage of your generosity and steal your money or even your identity. Take these steps to help you choose a charity: