Donating appreciated stocks is NOT always better than donating cash
The AGI limit on tax deductions is higher for cash than for share donations
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“Bigger donation, bigger deduction,” is how most advisers frame the argument to donate appreciated shares of stock.
While that is generally true, there are cases when donating cash on hand is optimal.
Some people really don’t like my Renaissance memes, btw. For them, here is RHCP telling everyone to “Give It Away” about 93 times, which, context aside, is a fine way to start the day.
If you need a primer on the value of donating appreciated stock, I recommend playing around with Eaton Vance’s charitable benefit calculator.
When you run the calculator, you’ll get something like the following, but you should enter your own details and see what pops out.
Once you’re done with that, check out the state-level rules, and however annoying, remember that state-level advice is next-level advice.
When should you evaluate just donating cash?