Gifts of Stock

Transferring stock is an excellent way to support Road Scholar’s mission of lifelong learning — offering increased value for your gift and potentially reduce your tax costs. Donors who contribute appreciated securities held longer than one year can:

• Receive a charitable tax deduction for the full market value of the securities.
• Avoid paying capital gains taxes on the appreciated assets.

Transferring stock is easy, whether your bank, your broker or you hold the securities. The value of your charitable deduction is determined by the security’s market value on its delivery date. Please contact us in advance of the stock transfer so we can expect its delivery and properly credit your gift to you.

Instruct your broker or agent to directly transfer the stock by wire into Road Scholar’s brokerage account (listed below). You will need to confirm your conversation with a letter of instruction to your broker and send a copy to Road Scholar. The delivery date is the date the stock is transferred. Please inform us in advance of your intention to transfer stock to our brokerage account by calling us at (877) 737-0664 (toll-free).

Charles Schwab Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 982600, El Paso, TX 79998
1 (800) 435-4000
DTC clearing number: 0164, code 40
Account Name: Elderhostel, Inc. d/b/a Road Scholar
Account number: 4716-3203

When the stock is in your name and in your possession, you can mail the unsigned stock certificates to: 

Ann Simanis, Associate V.P. of Development
Road Scholar, Inc.
PO Box 56033
Boston, MA 02205-6033

In a separate envelope, you must also send two other items to Road Scholar:

1. A stock power — A form providing documentation that you intend to transfer ownership of the stock. You can download this stock power form here or obtain a stock power from your bank or broker. Sign the stock power, but please do not fill in anything else. If you use your bank or broker’s form, please verify that everything else on the form is blank, including the name of the “Attorney to transfer the stock.”
   
   
2. A Third-Party Release form —  This form requires a medallion signature guarantee from a commercial bank, savings and loan, trust company or credit union. It is critical that you mail the stock power and third-party release separately from the stock certificates. This keeps the stock safe from theft en route because it is not negotiable without the power, and the power is worthless without the certificate. (You can mail these separate documents on the same day). The transfer date is the postmark date.

Please ask us for instructions about making a gift of appreciated mutual fund shares. These gifts can take several weeks to complete, so you will need to plan ahead in order for your gift to be made in the year in which you wish to benefit from a charitable gift deduction. We are grateful to receive gifts of appreciated securities or mutual funds and will promptly confirm receipt of your advance notification and your gift.