Charity Gift Giving Guide

If you are like most people, you can afford to give more.  Read on, to see if you can win an Olympic medal in charitable giving. 

If you are very rich, each year you can afford to give away 3% of your net assets plus 30% of your annual income not from assets.  If you are not so rich, those percentages are significantly reduced.  The computation here uses a sliding scale, computed from how your assets and income compare to the gross domestic product that is attributable to an average household of your size.  More details are in the notes below. 

The Inputs

The values you will need to enter are as follows.  Approximate values are good enough. 

• Household size includes everyone who lives in your household or who is your financial dependent.  Feel free to include a fractional amount (entered as a decimal) for those partially dependent upon you. 
• Household net assets includes everything owned by the people in your household minus all the debts.  Add together the value of bank accounts, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, cars, boats, real estate, patents*, small businesses*, etc., and subtract off credit card debts, student loans, mortgages, etc.  Note, do not include in your assets the amounts that are set aside for anticipated debts like education or medical expenses.  If the household debts exceed the assets then enter a negative value using a minus sign. 
• Household annual income not from assets includes household income not derived from your assets.  Include gross wages, but do not include interest, dividends, capital gains, royalties*, etc.  Do not subtract for any deductions, though see the notes below. 

The Calculations

This is a JavaScript form; the calculations are done on your computer and your financial information never travels over the Internet.  Please enter numbers, but no commas or dollar signs, etc.  Note that if the values on Lines B, C, and D are all entered in thousands of dollars, or all in euros or whatever, then all computed giving levels will be similarly denominated. 

Look at the numbers on Lines 4G, 4S, and 4B.  It is hard to win even a Bronze medal.  Can you do it?

The Notes (for those who care):

• For patents, small businesses, royalties and other hard to value assets and income, try to distinguish the asset from the income.  For instance, imagine that you sold your small business to someone else, who then employed you in your current role.  The price for that sale should be included in your net assets.  The annual salary you would be paid should be included in your income. 
• If this year's income value is unusual, you might instead use a typical year's value. 
• If you have out-of-pocket medical, tuition, or other similar expenses that are nontrivial for you, then you yourself are a charitable cause.  Include these expenses in your charitable giving as you work for a medal. 
• If you live in a country where taxes are atypically high or low, then it may be appropriate to adjust your charitable giving to compensate.
• The percentages shown on Lines 2 and 3 are computed using a sliding scale. 
  • The sliding scale is given as [I + A/10] / [I + A/10 + 2(H+1)P], where
    • I is the the household annual income not from assets,
    • A is the household net assets,
    • H is the household size, and
    • P is the gross domestic product per capita.
  • The sliding scale multiplies 3% to give the asssets percentage on Line 2.  The sliding scale multiplies 30% to give the income percentage on Line 3. 

Copyright 2008, 2011, 2015, 2017 Lee Newberg.  All rights reserved.