Sue Wild’s story of giving stock to the Y
Originally from Texas, Sue Wild’s Hawaii story began in 1961, on the Matson luxury ocean liner, the Lurline, sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii. She was an architecture student at the time, and little did she know she would meet her husband-to-be on the romantic cruise. She and Walter met and 2 days later, he proposed to her. The next day she accepted. They moved to Oahu and were married for 56 wonderful years, until his passing.
Sue’s relationship with the YMCA of Honolulu began when she took a water arthritis class at the Windward Y. Later, they needed someone to teach the class and asked her to be a volunteer instructor. Certified to teach arthritis, Parkinson’s, Tai Chi and Silver and Fit classes, Sue also taught at the Nu‘uanu and Kaimuki-Waialae Ys.
Sue knew the importance of a well-run pool for the water arthritis classes. And when theWindward Y’s pool started to break down, Sue gave the Y stock as her gift, which made possible the replacement of the pool heater, plastering, repair of the deck, and the purchase of a pool cover.
Why give stock instead of cash? "Why not," replied Sue at the time. "I save on capital gains tax. If I sold the stock to make a cash gift, I’d have to pay extra taxes, and then the Y would receive less. And since I had owned the stock for more than one year, I got double the tax savings by being able to deduct the full market value of my donated stock."
Sue passed away peacefully in 2017, but her legacy gift of stock continues to keep the Windward Y strong and in service to our community.
Example:
| Gift of Stock | Gift of Cash | |
| Gift amount | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Federal Income tax savings | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Capital gains tax avoided | $375 | $0 |
| Total tax savings | $1,775 | $1,400 |
| Net cost of charitable gift | $3,225 | $3,600 |
"We are humbled by Sue’s legacy of generosity with her time through all of the years she was with us, and her resources. Plain and simple, it is only through partnerships with volunteers and donors like Sue that the Y can serve our community with the best possible programs and facilities," said Windward Y Executive Director Leigh Ann Landreth.
“What Sue always appreciated most about the Y was how we support seniors,” added Landreth. "Sue also appreciated the excellence of our Y’s programs for kids. So many parents work, and these programs provide not only great supervision, but teach Y values, and she loved how our staff members were good role models for the kids.”
Our most sincere thanks to Sue and the legacy she has left for us and future generations! To learn more about gifts of stock, contact Kerri Van Duyne, Vice President of Development, at (808) 541-5473.
Because everyone’s situation is different, the Y encourages you to seek professional legal, estate planning, and financial advice before deciding on a course of action. This information does not constitute legal or financial advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice.