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Charitable giving helps everyone
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To participate in the spirit of the holiday season, you may be thinking of making some charitable gifts. If so, you’ll no doubt enjoy helping a group that does valuable work.
But it’s important to understand just how necessary your gifts are to the country’s social fabric. Given the effects of the Great Recession and the slow recovery, it’s not surprising to learn that charitable giving fell a combined 13 percent in 2008 and ’09, after adjusting for inflation, according to The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. And although 2010 giving increased by 2.1 percent, again adjusted for inflation, many groups are seeing tough times as 2011 comes to a close. So your gift counts.
 And it can count for you, too. By contributing to a qualified tax-exempt organization — e.g., a charitable group that has received 501(c)(3) status from the IRS — you may earn valuable tax deductions. This is true whether you give cash or another type of asset, such as stocks or real estate.
Making charitable gifts now may help you reduce your taxable estate. As you may know, the estate tax exemption level has fluctuated in recent years, so it’s hard for any of us to say for sure that we won’t be subjecting our estates to these taxes. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps now to plan for possible future estate taxes.
One such step might involve establishing a charitable remainder trust. Under this arrangement, you’d place some assets, such as stocks or real estate, in a trust, which then could use the assets to pay you an income stream over a certain period of time. When you establish the trust, you may be able to receive tax benefits based on the amount the charity is likely to ultimately receive, the charitable group’s so-called “remainder interest.” Upon its termination, the trust would relinquish the remaining assets to the charitable organization you’ve named.
Keep in mind, though, that this type of trust can be complex. To establish one, you’ll need to work with your qualified tax advisor and estate-planning attorney. 
Another popular contribution vehicle is the donor-advised fund. Here’s how it works: You give cash or appreciated securities to the donor-advised fund, with the expectation of receiving a tax deduction for the contribution in that same year. You recommend which charities are to benefit from the contributions to the fund, and the fund invests and manages your contribution, along with the other assets in the fund.
Again, you’ll need to consult with your qualified tax advisor before establishing a donor-advised fund to help ensure you obtain any expected tax benefits.
As we’ve seen, you can follow different charitable giving strategies. But however you choose to make charitable gifts, you can take satisfaction in helping worthy organizations while possibly improving your own tax picture.

Cardella is a consultant for Edward Jones in Hinesville.

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GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

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