Malcolm Burrows

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Malcolm is a philanthropic advisor with over 30 years of experience. He is head, philanthropic advisory services at Scotia Wealth Management and founder of Aqueduct Foundation. Views are his own. malcolm.burrows@scotiawealth.com

Transparency v Anonymity

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The calls for greater transparency by charities in Canada is growing. Budget 2022 had a few promises of more reporting requirements for registered charities related to donor advised funds and disbursement quota, although the exact measures are still unclear. What does this mean for the charitable tradition of anonymous giving? Anonymity The great Spanish Jewish medieval philosopher Maimonides famously said that the highest form of charity is anonymous. It’s about….

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Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Canadian Donation Incentives

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I published a version of this blog three years ago to address the many questions on Canadian tax incentives for donations that I receive.  Since the questions keep coming here is a revised and updated version. Generous but Complex and Opaque Canada has the most generous tax incentives for charitable giving in the world, but few Canadian donors understand what they save and how the system works. Why the paradox? ….

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Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Better Life Insurance Donations

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Recently I received an inquiry from a life insurance advisor about a client who wished to establish a policy and donate it to two charities.  My colleague wanted to know if this was possible.  In my experience it is possible, but not the best way to do it. Donation Structures in Canada there are two basic ways to donate using life insurance. A donor makes the charity owner and beneficiary….

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Insurance, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

The Decline of Churches

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[caption id="attachment_17878" align="aligncenter" width="614"] The Hazlet Lutheran Church, northwest of Swift Current, Sask., sat empty for nearly 25 years until two friends, Lindsay Alliban and Erin McKnight, bought it in 2016 and converted it into a live music space. (Katie Toney via CBC)[/caption] Organized religion has been the bedrock of the Canadian charitable sector.  When charities were first required to register federally in 1967, over 60% of organizations were religious….

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Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Wine and Estates Revisited

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When I last wrote about wine and estates it was 2019. A distant epoch. The Canadian situation has changed dramatically since then. Not only have I been drinking more and better wine (I’m not alone), but the secondary wine market has changed. It’s more liquid, if you will. This is helpful to wine collectors and executors. What’s Changed? The pandemic lock downs of 2020 disrupted long-held, post-prohibition rules around wine….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Name That Charity!

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“Name That Charity” sounds like a failed 1960s game show. Instead, it is an approach to estate planning that paradoxically may discourage charitable giving. This is an observation made by Kathy Hawkesworth of the Edmonton Community Foundation in a recent presentation to the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioner (STEP). Kathy’s point is financial advisors and estate lawyers often put their clients on the spot. Do they have charitable interests?….

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Charitable Giving, Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized
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