For many people, a personal financial plan is not complete until it includes charitable giving - not just an occasional donation to charity but a plan to "share the wealth." Walk through the following steps for a primer on the decision-making process, and learn how to make philanthropy a part of your life.

Step 1 - To Give or Not to Give? It's important to know why you want to give.

Step 2 - How Much To Give? You may be surprised at what you can afford.

Step 3 - How Should You Give? Options range from simple to complicated.

Step 4 - Where Should You Give? You can't do everything, so here's how to pick and choose.

Step 5 - When Should You Give? A well-thought-out plan can benefit both you and the charity of your choice.

Questions to Ask: Print out this list of questions, organized by the 5-step categories, as a worksheet to help you get started on your own charitable-giving plan.

Profiles in Giving: Personal stories of people - perhaps from a similar situation to yours - who've applied charitable giving to their own lives.

Guide Home | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Questions to Ask