Archive for the 'Partner News' Category

The fear of volatile markets and lower returns has many looking for secure streams of income. This has opened the door to millions of seniors being sold Equity-Indexed Annuities. Dateline NBC just aired a hidden-camera investigation that focused on how seniors across the nation are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous insurance agents.

Certified Financial Planner Jeffrey Voudrie has been warning against these products for several years. You can explore his articles on this subject here>>>

Village Missions markets Charitable Gift Annuities, which have some of the same benefits and drawbacks of commercial annuities. But we take an altogether different approach:

We will -
□ Explain the benefits and the drawbacks;
□ Encourage you to remember your local church first;
□ Always take your entire financial situation into account;
□ Not make a recommendation that is not in your best interest;
□ Never recommend that you put all of your savings in one place;
□ Always seek to involve your advisors – lawyers, accountants, adult children, etc.

If you would like to explore the options give us a call at 800-617-9905 x 112, or email us. Village Missions provides charitable tax planning information as an educational service to friends, and there is absolutely no cost or obligation.

Have you ever been caught in a tax trap? It’s not uncommon for a business or property owner to sell only to be surprised later by an huge tax bill. What an expensive education!

Village Missions partners with National Christian Foundation (NCF)to provide tax-smart solutions for donors who want to make the most of their God-given resources. NCF provides free access to Generosity University in order to help you avoid expensive tax mistakes.

Find out how others have helped their favorite charities and reduced their tax bills:
“Your Wisest Investment: Giving Before the Sale of an Asset”

Don’t get schooled by the IRS! Learn how to save taxes by giving wisely at Generosity University.

Some of the most popular products being pitched to seniors today are reverse mortgages. Everywhere you turn there are free seminars, free reports and free DVDs, all touting the amazing benefits these loans offer. Are reverse mortgages the answer to seniors prayers, or are they too good to be true? Certified Financial Planner Jeffrey Voudrie provides the answer to these questions in an article that we have linked to >here<.
Jeff has excellent advice that will help you avoid costly financial mistakes.

For those who want to include charity in their financial planning, the tax law provides charitable options for you to:

- Stay in your home
- Secure a reliable stream of lifetime income
- Get a substantial tax deduction
- Bypass Capital Gains Tax
- Benefit the causes you care about

If you would like to explore the options give us a call at 800-617-9905 x 112, or email us. Village Missions provides charitable tax planning information as an educational service to friends, and there is absolutely no cost or obligation.

Daily living – from dawn to way past dark – is so demanding that we often give little thought to the future. Did you know that that on average, a person

- Works more than 40 years to accumulate worldly wealth
- Spends 10 years trying to hold onto what has been earned
- But does not even spend 2 hours planning how to distribute what is left behind

In fact, every year as many as 70-80% of adult Americans who die do so without letting their own voice be heard in the form of their personal Will. Why do so many fail to take advantage of all that a Will makes possible?

You might say, “we’re not dealing with a mansion, here!”

It’s true; many people look at a modest home and a few investments and think they aren’t enough to bother with the time and expense of a Will. This is often a costly assumption. Many folks who have lived in the same home for 30 or 40 years are shocked when they add it all up. So, even people of modest means can leave tax issues behind for loved ones to unravel.

This is just one example of why so many may postpone the creation of a Will. But no matter what the reason, a little time and thought today can result in significant savings and unnecessary emotional stress later. In addition, the creation of a personal Will is the way you give voice to your faith in the Lord, your hopes for your family, and the values you wish to leave behind. It gives lasting voice to your legacy . . . a voice that can echo for Eternity.

Village Missions will provide to you free of charge, “A Guide to Planning Your Will and Trust.” This guide will help you to think about how you want your assets to be distributed at death and assist you in gathering the information your attorney will need to prepare a will and trust to carry out your wishes. It will save you time and money when you consult with your attorney.

Ask for your copy by e-mailing us, or calling 1-800-617-9905 x 112.

Did you know you can support God’s kingdom while you are out in the field sowing a crop or herding cattle?

Through our partnership with STEER, Inc., you can use your farm or ranch to Keep Country Churches Alive. And STEER gives you everything you need; all you provide is the labor.

Even if you don’t have a consistent cash flow, you can use your time and resources to help build the kingdom. By placing a few more seeds in the ground or raising an extra animal, you can support missions work around the world. STEER partners with Christian farmers and ranchers who want to use their skills to further God’s kingdom.

Here’s How It Works:
STEER supplies animals—or seeds and fertilizer—and you provide the labor, feed, land and machinery. You can choose from cattle, buffalo, horses, sheep, hogs and other animals or whatever crop you are currently growing.

STEER covers any loss of livestock or crop through its insurance and depreciation fund. STEER also covers any vet fees or death losses.

When it’s time to go to market with your STEER livestock or crops, the bulk of the profit is sent to Village Missions to Keep Country Churches Alive.

Call us at 800-617-9905 x 112 to learn more.

Here’s an example of tax-smart giving:

Katherine and Mark bought a piece of property 25 years ago for $50,000. This year, it was worth $500,000, and they wanted to sell the asset and then give the proceeds to the work of the Lord.

Doing so, however, would have sent tens of thousands of dollars to the Federal government in taxes.

Then Katherine and Mark learned about The National Christian Foundation (NCF), a recognized leader in accepting and liquidating innovative gifts such as real estate, business interests, and restricted securities. They decided to set up a Giving Fund at NCF.

After liquidating the property, NCF put the proceeds into Katherine and Mark’s Giving Fund, which they used to recommend grants to their favorite ministry.

Why was this a wise choice?

- They avoided capital gains tax, saving $94,500. These dollars went to support Kingdom work.

- They received a higher charitable income tax deduction. Katherine and Mark received a tax deduction of $500,000, the fair market value of their property. This saved them an additional $38,745 in income taxes.

- They maximized their gift. They were able to give a lot more to their favorite ministries.
The extra $94,500 went to Kingdom work that needed it most. With the extra $38,745 in tax savings, Katherine and Mark helped put their daughter through college.

For more information about tax-smart giving, call us at 800-617-9905 x112, or email partner@villagemissions.org

Village Missions has launched a page at firstgiving.com to reach out and let people know about our efforts to support Navajo churches.

Click on “Menu” to learn more, or “Donate” to give now.

A great new web site has been launched for the Helping Fund http://www.vmhelpingfund.org. The web site is a place for you to read testimonies of missionaries who have been helped. There is also a place for you to leave your testimony.

Enjoy the new site - the testimonies are a blessing!

Did you know that some farmers can save taxes by giving commodities instead of cash?  Farm commodities, such as grain, livestock, milk and eggs make valuable gifts to your local church and Village Missions. Besides being first-fruit gifts, farm commodity gifts are simple to make.

Here’s an example:

In 2003, Amanda Smith, a farm operator, donated 1,000 bushels of soybeans to her church. The donation represented the production from 15 acres. Amanda’s cost of production was $4,000, and the FMV at the time of the donation was $5,000. For 2003, Amanda was on the cash method of accounting.

Amanda will deduct the $4,000 of production expense on her 2003 Schedule F. She will not report any income from the gift nor will she deduct any charitable contribution. Assuming Amanda is married, does not have enough itemized deductions to exceed her standard deduction, is in a 25% federal income tax bracket, and a 3% state income tax bracket, her tax savings is $2,007 more than selling the beans and making a cash donation of $5,000 to her church.

Thanks to: Farmdoc, University of Illinois

http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/legal/articles/ALTBs/ALTB_04-08/ALTB_04-08.html

Village Missions is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service.  Farmers should consult with a competent professional tax advisor prior to making a gift.

Are you feeling a little stretched financially? 

Here’s an interesting web site that puts Western affluence in perspective.  Go to this web site, enter your annual income, and see where you stack up against the rest of the world. 

 http://www.globalrichlist.com/

If your income is $50,000 or more, you are in the top 1% of the world’s richest.

What a reminder of why God gives wealth.  As Paul tells us “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”  2 Corinthians 9:11

As Randy Alcorn has said, “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.”   

(Thanks to Jason Pearson at http://www.ministryrecess.com/)