Charles McLucas, Jr., CPA, PFS, CKA
Director of Legacy Planning
Charles J. McLucas, Jr. is the Founder and President of Charitable Trust Administrators, Inc. (CTAI). He earned his degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1967. Following his graduation, Charles began his career as a Revenue Agent with the Internal Revenue Service before transitioning to Public Accounting in Orange County, California.
In 1980, Charles relocated to Northern California, where he established a fee-only CPA financial planning practice, offering charitable trust administration services. By 1995, he founded CTAI to provide third-party administrative services to donors serving as their own trustees, as well as comprehensive support for nonprofit organizations lacking fully staffed planned giving departments. In 2000, Charles sold his CPA practice in Redding to focus exclusively on charitable trust administration and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals in Southern California.
As a CPA specializing in financial planning, Charles was among the first to earn the Personal Financial Specialist designation from the AICPA in 1987, after meeting the rigorous educational and testing requirements. He has served on the Board of Directors for several nonprofit organizations, including Crown Financial Ministries-Western US, Law Enforcement Chaplaincy of Shasta County, and CareNet Pregnancy Center of Tri-Counties, in both Northern and Southern California.
Charles is an active member of several professional organizations, including the AICPA, California Society of CPAs, and the International Association for Financial Planners. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Fundraisers, various Estate Planning Councils across California, and several Planned Giving Roundtables in the region. He serves on the Professional Advisory Committees for the Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, St. Jude Hospital Foundation, and St. Mary Hospital Foundation.
A respected lecturer and published author, Charles has contributed several articles on charitable remainder unitrusts to the Journal of Personal Financial Planning and other periodicals. He is also on the faculty of the Certified Specialist in Planned Giving program, administered by the American Institute of Philanthropic Studies and Long Beach State University. He brings a diverse skill set and a passion for excellence to his role at Laura Bella International and The Virtual Family Office.