Designing Charitable Remainder Trusts is Expert Work.
A Practice Bridging Law, Finance, and Tax
You did not come here by accident, you already know the advantages of Charitable Remainder Trusts:
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Tax Efficiency on Asset Sales: CRTs provide an avenue for selling and diversifying highly appreciated assets without triggering capital gains taxes, preserving more wealth within the trust for future growth.
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Income Provision: The trust offers lifetime or term-certain income to the donor, providing either financial security or supplemental income during retirement.
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Immediate Tax Deduction: Upon establishing the CRT, the donor receives an immediate charitable deduction for the present value of the remainder interest designated for charity.
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Charitable Contribution: After the donor’s death or the end of the trust term, the remaining trust assets are distributed to one or more charitable organizations, aligning with the donor’s philanthropic objectives.
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Estate Tax Benefits: Since the remainder interest is irrevocably designated for charity and the donor cannot control or access it, these assets are excluded from the donor's estate, potentially reducing estate tax liability.
This 5-minute video puts things into context
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Charitable trusts like CRUTs occupy the crossroads of law, tax, and financial planning — yet few advisors master all three. Only about 6,000 such trusts are created nationwide each year. The expertise for optimal results is scarce.
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Law: precise drafting and compliance align donor intent with IRS standards.
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Tax: strategy and projections shape how giving interacts with income and gains.
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Finance: portfolio design and payout choices sustain performance.
When these disciplines move in concert, the result is a trust that serves donors, charities, and the law alike.
Wealth Care Lawyer
Klaus Gottlieb, Esq.
A California Practice Specializing in Charitable Split-Interest Trusts.
Integrating tax, financial, and legal planning to design charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts that work in the real world.
Our Approach is Different
Design and Analysis of Charitable Lead and Remainder Trusts
Dynamic Systems
Charitable trusts are dynamic systems — not routine tools. Payout rate, duration, remainder value, and deduction all interact to define outcomes. Specialized CRUTs like NIMCRUTs or FLIPCRUTs add further complexity.
These relationships require quantitative modeling to reveal trade-offs and align structure with goals. My work integrates drafting, modeling, and tax analysis so each trust remains sound, efficient, and value-maximizing.
Maximizing Total Economic Benefit
Converting Financial Insight into Compliant Legal Documents
Efficiency doesn’t come from templates or one-size algorithms. The true economics of a charitable trust hinge on how tax savings, gain deferral, payouts, and asset performance interact. My modeling integrates these factors to align structure, timing, and assumptions for results that are compliant and tailored to your goals.
Financial Integration
Risk Analysis and Assumptions
Investment behavior, payout rules, and volatility drive a trust’s success. Many advisors stop at compliance; I integrate legal design with quantitative modeling to show how growth, return sequence, and reinvestment choices affect long-term results — keeping generosity and discipline aligned.
Your Legacy
Enduring Purpose Forward
A lasting legacy balances income, taxes, and philanthropy. I turn that intent into models and documents that endure — aligning legal form with financial function so your impact remains coherent and alive in the work it sustains.
About Klaus Gottlieb, Esq.
Also featured: Dachshund Rudolph.
About Klaus Gottlieb, Esq.
Estate Planning Attorney | Wealth Care Lawyer, San Luis Obispo, CA
klaus@wealthcarelawyer.com
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Klaus Gottlieb is an estate planning attorney whose work centers on charitable trusts and advanced tax strategy — areas where law, finance, and analytics converge. His practice, Wealth Care Lawyer, emphasizes quantitative design, structure, and the disciplined alignment of intent with outcome.
Before founding his firm, Klaus spent decades in analytical and leadership roles that shaped his data-driven approach to problem-solving. He holds an MBA from Indiana University, where he was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, and is the author of several analytical patents in biomedical informatics and automation — each reflecting his ability to extract meaningful signals from complex, real-world data.
Klaus designs charitable remainder and lead trusts that are engineered for both performance and compliance, advising individuals, families, and professional teams who value decisions grounded in modeling rather than marketing.
He teaches Corporations and Wills & Trusts at Monterey College of Law and is completing an LL.M. in Taxation and Estate Planning at Golden Gate University.
A founding member of the California Central Coast Estate Planning Council, he has been recognized by Super Lawyers and is admitted to the United States Tax Court.
Across disciplines, Klaus maintains a consistent philosophy: to turn complexity into durable clarity — legally, mathematically, and philosophically.
Ways to Engage Me
For Attorneys and Advisors
I collaborate with attorneys, CPAs, and financial planners across the United States who want to extend their charitable trust capabilities without outsourcing judgment.
My Modeling and Advisory support provides detailed payout and tax modeling that strengthens your planning recommendations.
These engagements remain advisory — you retain the client relationship while I contribute technical advice.
If desired, I can serve as legal counsel for California clients, providing full trust drafting and implementation under an attorney-client relationship. This ensures legal precision and economic consistency from concept to execution.
Collaboration is handled entirely through secure video, phone, or email, integrating smoothly into your client service process.
For Individuals and Families
I work directly with California-domiciled clients who want charitable trusts designed with precision and purpose.
Each engagement begins with Modeling and Advisory — projecting tax savings, capital-gains deferral, income flow, and charitable remainder values.
When the right structure becomes clear, I handle Drafting and Implementation, unifying the economics and legal form in one coherent plan.
The entire process can be completed through secure video, phone, or email consultations.
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Klaus Gottlieb, Esq.
klaus@wealthcarelawyer.com