A Caretaker of Funds for Christ

Earl: My uncle had a profound influence on my life. When he died, he passed on to my aunt an inheritance part of which has now come down to me. The gift that I want to make is simply a tithe on what I have received. I am just a caretaker of funds for Christ and believe in tithing what I have been fortunate to receive

Episcopal Gift (EG): A tithe on your inheritance?

Earl: Yes, that's right. My uncle was one person who showed me the importance of giving. I want to "pay it forward," as they say.

EG: Who do you want to make the gift to?

Earl: I want this to go to Episcopal Charities. I have also made a similar gift to the Diocese and to my parish, St. Paul's in Walnut Creek. All do important work that I want to support, ministering to people in need in the name of Christ.

EG: You are giving actual stock certificates?

Earl: These are shares in a company that my uncle helped to found-Snap-On Tools. If I were to sell the shares, I would lose 20% of their value in capital gains taxes. By donating the actual shares, there are no taxes, and I may claim an income tax deduction for the full market value of the stock.

EG: How did you go about making this gift?

Earl: For my parish, they have a brokerage account that I transferred shares to. For giving the stock certificates to Episcopal Charities and the Diocese Endowment Fund, I called the Gift Planning Office of the Diocese. The Rev. Schaper and I arranged to meet downtown for lunch one day. After lunch, we delivered the stock certificates to the brokerage firm on Montgomery Street.

EG: Any closing words?

Earl: Tithing on an inheritance seems so right since it is money that I myself have received as an outright gift. I want to make a gift of at least this part of it to others.