Charitable giving starts with something simple: you want to help and make an impact. Maybe it’s a school that changed your life, a health organization that supported your family, or a community cause you’ve quietly believed in for years. The impulse is personal. The giving should be too.

But how you give matters. The right approach can amplify the impact of your generosity, preserve more of your wealth for causes you care about, and spare your heirs from unnecessary complications down the road. The wrong approach can cost you real money in taxes, limit your flexibility, or, as a recent federal lawsuit has reminded us, leave you with fewer rights over your donated dollars than you expected.

It happens every spring. Parents of teenagers look up from the busyness of daily life and realize that college, once a distant milestone, is now right around the corner. Whether it is two years away or fifteen, the financial decisions made between now and move-in day can have a lasting impact on your family’s financial picture.

Gifting property to a child is a meaningful way to transfer wealth, but it requires careful planning to avoid unnecessary tax burdens and legal complications. There are several ways to accomplish this, each with its own benefits…