Monthly Archives: April 2026

Intentional Giving Through Donor-Advised Funds with Brian Howell

DAFgiving360, Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice

Brian Howell, Director of Charitable Consulting at DAFgiving360™, unpacks how donor-advised funds can move charitable giving from a year-end tax decision to a more deliberate part of long-term wealth planning. He walks through the core advantages of DAFs, from contributing appreciated and complex assets to investing for tax-free growth and building succession plans that can simplify charitable legacy decisions over time.

He also shares new DAFgiving360 research showing that DAF users tend to be more engaged, more recurring in their giving, and more connected to the causes they support. Howell makes the case that this creates a meaningful opening for advisors, not just in tax planning, but in helping clients tie philanthropy more closely to family legacy, major liquidity events, and broader financial strategy.

If you’d like to learn more about working with DAFgiving360 and the benefits to both you and your clients, review their online resources or request more information.

DAFgiving360™ is the name used for the combined programs and services of Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc., an independent nonprofit organization which has entered into service agreements with certain subsidiaries of The Charles Schwab Corporation. DAFgiving360 is a tax-exempt public charity as described in Sections 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1), and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions made to DAFgiving360 are considered an irrevocable gift and are not refundable. Once contributed, DAFgiving360 has exclusive legal control over the contributed assets. 

A donor’s ability to claim itemized deductions is subject to a variety of limitations depending on the donor’s specific tax situation.

Contributions of certain real estate, private equity, or other illiquid assets may be accepted via a charitable intermediary, with proceeds transferred to a donor-advised fund (DAF) account upon liquidation. Call DAFgiving360 for more information at 800-746-6216.

Market fluctuations may cause the value of investment fund shares held in a donor-advised fund (DAF) account to be worth more or less than the value of the original contribution to the funds.

DAFgiving360 does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult a qualified legal or tax advisor where such advice is necessary or appropriate.

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Inside CAGE: Calamos’ New Autocallable Growth ETF with Matt Kaufman

Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice

Matt Kaufman, Global Head of ETFs at Calamos, breaks down the firm’s new Calamos Autocallable Growth ETF, CAGE, and the role it could play for investors looking to compound assets over time rather than generate current income. He frames the strategy as an extension of the firm’s autocallable lineup, using a laddered index of growth notes with annual observations and a “memory” feature that stores missed coupons for later, giving investors another way to pursue compounded growth over time.

Kaufman also walks through the mechanics advisors need to understand, including the fund’s 50% maturity barrier, weekly laddering, and the “pull to par” effect he says can help distinguish the strategy from a traditional equity allocation. While he notes that the ETF’s NAV can be volatile, he positions CAGE as a buy-and-hold vehicle for clients with at least a five-year horizon and contrasts it with leveraged ETFs that are built for a very different use case.

Resources: For more information about CAGE visit: www.calamos.com/CAGE.

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Beyond the Portfolio: The One-Stop Advisor with Danny Lohrfink

AI, Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice

Danny Lohrfink, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Wealth.com, sees a growing opportunity for advisors to play a more central role in their clients’ financial lives. As expectations rise for more coordinated guidance, he points to estate and tax planning as areas that are becoming more connected to the broader advice relationship rather than sitting off to the side as separate conversations.

A big part of that shift comes down to execution. For that broader advice model to work, firms need better ways to handle the technical work behind the scenes, so advisors can deliver a more complete experience without piling more manual burden onto the team. That means connecting estate and tax planning more closely, cutting down on disconnected workflows, and making it easier to move from analysis to client-ready advice.

Resources: Wealth.com

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Donor-Advised Funds and the Future of Giving with Julie Sunwoo

DAFgiving360, Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice

Julie Sunwoo, President of DAFgiving360™, outlines why donor-advised funds continue to gain momentum as a flexible, tax-efficient vehicle for charitable giving. By allowing contributions of appreciated assets, immediate tax benefits, and ongoing investment growth before grants are distributed, DAFs help maximize the total dollars ultimately reaching nonprofits. Increasingly, donors are using them not just for cash, but for complex assets—unlocking more value for charitable impact.

She emphasizes the critical role advisors play in this ecosystem, with the majority of DAF users working alongside financial professionals to manage and grow their charitable portfolios. Strong 2025 giving trends—including nearly $10 billion in grants and expanding participation across both donors and charities—highlight a broader shift: charitable giving is becoming more strategic, more accessible, and more integrated into overall financial planning.

If you’d like to learn more about working with DAFgiving360 and the benefits to both you and your clients, review their online resources or request more information.

DAFgiving360™ is the name used for the combined programs and services of Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc., an independent nonprofit organization which has entered into service agreements with certain subsidiaries of The Charles Schwab Corporation. DAFgiving360 is a tax-exempt public charity as described in Sections 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1), and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.  

Contributions made to DAFgiving360 are considered an irrevocable gift and are not refundable. Once contributed, DAFgiving360 has exclusive legal control over the contributed assets. 

A donor’s ability to claim itemized deductions is subject to a variety of limitations depending on the donor’s specific tax situation. 

Contributions of certain real estate, private equity, or other illiquid assets may be accepted via a charitable intermediary, with proceeds transferred to a donor-advised fund (DAF) account upon liquidation. Call DAFgiving360 for more information at 800-746-6216. 

Market fluctuations may cause the value of investment fund shares held in a donor-advised fund (DAF) account to be worth more or less than the value of the original contribution to the funds. 

DAFgiving360 does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult a qualified legal or tax advisor where such advice is necessary or appropriate.

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A Smarter Approach to Private Markets with Ryan VanGorder

AI, Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice, Private Markets

Ryan VanGorder, CEO of Opto Investments, believes the private markets conversation is changing for advisors. Access may be broader than it once was, but his focus is on what comes next: helping fiduciaries determine where privates fit, evaluate them with more confidence, and bring greater transparency and alignment to the process. In his view, the real opportunity is not access alone, but making the space more workable and more understandable for the right clients.

He also points to AI and better data as key parts of that shift. Used thoughtfully, they can help advisors organize unstructured information, strengthen diligence, and build more confidence around private market decisions without replacing human judgment. The broader takeaway is a practical one: ask good questions, understand incentives, and take a disciplined approach to a market that is becoming more relevant across the industry.

Resources: Opto

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Reducing Private Market Friction with Ryan Eisenman

Advisorpedia, Finance, Industry Innovators, Power Your Advice

Ryan Eisenman, co-founder and CEO of Arch, is focused on a problem advisors know well: private markets may be more accessible than ever, but managing them is still highly manual and operationally complex. As RIAs bring more private equity, private credit, venture, real estate, and hedge funds into client portfolios, they are still dealing with subscription documents, capital calls, K-1s, investor portals, and reporting that rarely lives in one clean system. Arch is built to reduce that friction and give advisors a more unified way to manage alternative investments.

Eisenman’s view is that solving that complexity is about more than efficiency. By using AI to structure unorganized documents, summarize manager updates, surface look-through exposure, and support diligence and compliance workflows, Arch is aiming to give advisors a clearer picture of what clients own and what needs attention next. The result is a cleaner operational foundation for handling private markets and better context for the client conversations that come with them.

Resources: Arch

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