US Media: "Trump Account" May Allow Wealthy Individuals to Directly Donate Stocks

According to a report from the New York Times, officials at the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department have held internal discussions about expanding the investment scope of the "Trump Account" (formally known as the 530A Account). Current discussions include allowing the world's wealthiest individuals to donate shares of their company stock. Currently, the Trump Account only permits cash investments in diversified index funds and does not allow stock donations. This concept aims to leverage the yet-to-be-realized wealth of billionaires like Elon Musk or Jensen Huang. If the relevant rules are amended, Musk could directly donate shares of Tesla or SpaceX, and Jensen Huang could donate shares of Nvidia.

Compared to the slow but steady returns of index funds, children would be able to hold exposure to high-growth, large-cap tech stocks over the long term, potentially yielding enormous gains. Donors, meanwhile, could transfer billions of dollars worth of highly appreciated stocks without triggering capital gains tax, while also receiving a full charitable contribution tax deduction based on the stock's fair market value, further reducing their tax burden.

However, this idea has sparked debate within the Treasury Department. Limiting the Trump Account to diversified index funds was originally intended to protect children from drastic market fluctuations. Changing the current rules would require amending relevant regulations, which may need to be accomplished through legislation. (Jin Shi)