Surprising Facts About the Charitable Bequests of the Wealthy

by Bill High

What are the habits of the wealthy when it comes to leaving money by way of their estate?

A recent article in Give & Take (September 2017) noted the most recent IRS information on charitable gifts made through estates:

Thirty percent of women included a charitable gift in their estate documents, whereas only 20% of men included a similar gift.
Being single (widowed, divorced, legally separated, or single) dictated the majority of charitable bequests.
Ten percent of married females made charitable bequests.
Forty percent of married males made charitable bequests.
Overall, only 25% of married couples made charitable bequests.
Those older, age 80-89 (37%), were more likely to make a charitable gift at death than those under 70 (17%).

Of course, absent from all the reported results was that the death rate remained a solid 100%.

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