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Russell James

CharitablePlanning.com Author

Biography

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University. He holds the CH Foundation Chair in Personal Financial Planning and directs the on-campus and online graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the Texas Tech University School of Law where he teaches Charitable Gift Planning. He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law where he was a member of the Missouri Law Review. While in law school, he received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. He also holds a Ph.D. in consumer economics from the University of Missouri, where his dissertation was on charitable giving.

Prior to his career as an academic researcher, Dr. James worked as the Director of Planned Giving for Central Christian College in Moberly, Missouri for 6 years and later served as president of the college for more than 5 years, where he had direct and supervisory responsibility for all fundraising. During his presidency the college successfully completed two major capital campaigns, built several new debt-free buildings, and more than tripled on-campus enrollment.

Dr. James has over 150 publications in academic journals, conference proceedings, and books. These predominantly focus on statistical analysis and experimental research related to gifts, estates, and property. He has been quoted on charitable and financial issues in a variety of news sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Commentary

Visual Planned Giving - An Introduction to the Law & Taxation of Charitable Gift Planning

By Russell James
Sunday, December 31, 2023

The book, Visual Planned Giving: An Introduction to the Law & Taxation of Charitable Gift Planning, is designed for fundraisers or financial advisors seeking to expand their knowledge about charitable gift planning. It addresses all of the major topics in planned giving law and taxation. Over 1,000 illustrations and images guide the reader through complex concepts in a visual and intuitive way. The knowledge comes from years of teaching Charitable Gift Planning at the graduate level. Russell James makes this topic accessible and enjoyable for the busy professional.

The Timing of Final Charitable Bequest Decisions

By Russell James
Saturday, August 1, 2015

Understanding the timing of final charitable bequest decisions permits nonprofits to coordinate their marketing efforts to correspond with donor-decision making. This paper explores the timing of certain decisions that have resulted in realized charitable bequests, from decisions made earlier in life to decisions made during the last five years of life.

The Myth of the Coming Charitable Estate Windfall

By Russell James
Sunday, November 1, 2009

Media accounts, fund-raising periodicals, and some academic research have pointed to a coming windfall of charitable estate transfers driven by the graying of the population. This paper presents a comparison of estate gifts with the previous annual giving and volunteering of the deceased. Nonprofit managers who plan based on anticipated charitable giving estate windfalls may make inaccurate choices.