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Life Estate Reserve Gift Means Landowners Retain Control

August 2024
Alan Metz
Alan Metz, ChFC®, CAP®, FIC

Alan Metz compares his charitable practice to tending an orchard. He plants seeds with potential to produce profitable crops.

“It can take three, five or seven years for the fruit to come to harvest,” Alan said, “but if you plant enough seeds, and keep listening to your clients, you will see the fruits of your labors.”

The Financial Consultant recently collaborated with Thrivent Charitable to help long-time clients expand their charitable efforts. The retired couple doesn’t have children to take over their farm, so they were interested in donating more than 100 acres of valuable farmland.

Alan said, “We originally talked about using a charitable remainder trust, but it would mean a full transfer of ownership, and the client wants to retain control of his land. So, I called in the experts at Thrivent Charitable.”

Gift planners recommended a life estate reserve gift. The donors can collect rent on the land and benefit from a significant income tax deduction spread over several years. At the second death, Thrivent Charitable will sell the land and proceeds will be directed to a donor advised fund created by the donors to benefit charities they cherish.

With the tax deduction lowering taxable income, the couple plans to complete Roth IRA conversions during the next several years.

“That means more assets to invest in their managed account,” Alan said. “When you do the right thing for your clients, more business comes your way.”

Alan has suggestions for colleagues who want to incorporate charitable planning in their practice:

  • Start charitable conversations with clients before they retire, if possible, and be patient.
  • Introduce the value of donating noncash assets.
  • Use Zoom to bring experts and clients together. Alan has conducted many meetings this way to build relationships between clients’ attorneys, CPAs and Thrivent Charitable gift planners.
  • Rely on Thrivent Charitable for recommendations and implementation.

Contact our team of gift planners to discuss unique solutions for your clients. Email us or call 800-365-4172 to get started.

Thrivent provides advice and guidance through its Financial Planning Framework that generally includes a review and analysis of a client’s financial situation. A client may choose to further their planning engagement with Thrivent through its Dedicated Planning Services (an investment advisory service) that results in written recommendations for a fee.

This donor’s experience may not be the same as other donors and does not indicate future performance or success. Payout rates, charitable deductions and other benefits vary based on a number of factors.