PROTOTYPE Heirs’ Property & Philanthropy: A Guide for Charitable Gift Planners-Case Study: Heirs Property

Case Study: Heirs Property

Pdf Summary

This case study, “Peter and Charlotte Cade: Honoring Family and History Through Philanthropy,” is a planning exercise for advisors working with a philanthropic African American couple nearing retirement. Peter, 64, is a retired Army veteran and owner of an auto repair business in Georgia; Charlotte, 63, is a teacher. They have one living son, Langston, a daughter who died of cancer, and a teenage grandson, Emmitt, who lives with them and is training in mechanics.<br /><br />The Cades’ situation combines financial, estate, family, and charitable planning with the realities of systemic barriers and intergenerational wealth issues. Their assets include retirement accounts, a home, a paid-off garage, a classic car collection, and interests in heirs’ property tied to ancestral land on the Sea Islands and Charlotte’s family farm/timber land. These properties have high potential value but are complicated by shared ownership among multiple heirs, development pressure, and a history shaped by discrimination, land loss, and denied lending opportunities.<br /><br />They are also committed donors. Their giving supports their church, Charlotte’s family church, an HBCU, sorority-led programs, a cancer organization, Gullah Geechee events, and local Black history efforts. Charlotte wants to create a fund for the family church and eventually establish a scholarship.<br /><br />The case asks advisors to identify the couple’s short- and long-term financial and estate issues, explore what motivates their giving, recommend charitable tools, and determine how to work with other advisors. It also raises family concerns, including Emmitt’s future, the potential sale or succession of the business, support for Charlotte’s aging parents, and the wishes of extended family. The case is designed to encourage multidisciplinary planning that honors both family obligations and philanthropic goals.

Keywords

philanthropy

estate planning

African American couple

intergenerational wealth

heirs' property

charitable giving

family business succession

Gullah Geechee

scholarship fund

multidisciplinary planning