"Charitable Gifts Straight from your IRA--  Could this be of interest to you?"

If you have celebrated your 70 1/2 birthday and have funds accumulated in your IRA account, you may be interested in a recent tax law change as you consider how best to make your 2012 Stewardship or other gifts to the Mt. Sinai Congregational Church.

Congress has extended the IRA Charitable Distribution that allows donors aged 70 1/2  or older to make tax-free distributions directly from their IRAs to charity. Members already familiar with this provision know that such distributions count toward their "required minimum distribution" obligations yet, do not get included in their taxable income or count as a contribution deduction (since the funds go directly from your untaxed IRA to the charity.

Your can make 2011 gifts straight from your IRA during the remainder of 2011. This IRA Charitable Distribution provision is scheduled to expire at the end of 2011.