Estate Donations

Total 88 Posts

Charitable remainder trusts: what are they and when are they useful?

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A charitable remainder trust (CRT), although not widely used in Canada, can be a useful charitable giving tool that generates an immediate tax credit for the donor. In an inter vivos context, an individual establishes an alter ego trust and transfers property to the trust on a tax-deferred basis. The trust holds the property for the benefit of the individual during the individual’s lifetime, entitling the individual to the trust’s income but….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Charitable Giving, Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Tax Issues, Wills

How long is perpetuity?

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  [caption id="attachment_16267" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Rome   Credit: David’s Been Here[/caption]   “Is perpetuity 21 years?”, asked a charity colleague.  “Well, no, it’s forever.  Or until the end of time, or as long as we collectively exist,” I answered. Despite my emphatic response, the question is a good one because it underscores the inherent meaninglessness of the phrase “in perpetuity” in relation to charitable donations, trusts….

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Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

When Private Foundations Die

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[caption id="attachment_15461" align="aligncenter" width="750"] “Vanitas Still Life” by Pieter Claesz, 1630.[/caption] Private foundations are believed to be durable entities.  Perpetuity is assumed.  Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) data shows, however, that 2,319 private foundations closed during the period 2000 to 2021. Growth in Private Foundations There are currently 6,213 private foundations registered in Canada.  The private foundation is the fastest growing category of registered charities.  To provide perspective, from 2013 to….

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Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

One in Ten: Why Bequest Donors Don’t Inform Charities

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One in ten.  That, according to charitable sector studies, is how many estate donors inform the charities in their will of their intentions.  While this ratio varies by charity it underscores a fascinating paradox.  Bequest donors trust charities enough to make them beneficiaries of their estate, but they don’t trust them enough to tell them in advance. The Paradox This paradox is frustrating for charities.  Charities spend a lot of….

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

Restricted gifts of real estate

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When I was a young charitable gift planner, my charity was offered a cluster of islands on Georgian Bay.  Surrounding the 100-year-old family cottage were sheds, cabins and boat houses.  The donors had a vision: it would be a children’s camp. It was a stunning property.  Valuable, despite the sagging, mouse-infested buildings.  But this gift by will was contingent and restricted.  It would be a children’s camp, or nothing at….

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

Can You Preserve Your Tattoos After Your Death?

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Introduction Last year, I wrote a blog post about estate planning for tattoo artists, which focused primarily on the intellectual property rights of tattoo artists in their tattoo designs and the ways in which such rights conflict with the rights of the people who actually bear such designs on their skin.[1] In response to my post, I received an interesting article about the developing technique of post-death tattoo preservation.[2] The….

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Estate Administration, Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Executors, Family Conflict, Funeral Planning, In the News, Trustee
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