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Total 671 Posts

Posthumously-Conceived Children Revisited

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Please note: This blog has been updated from the original version which appeared on October 19, 2019. In a previous blog I wrote about Ontario’s new parentage rules, which came into force on January 1, 2017. Those are the rules that govern who is recognized at law to be a parent of a child. The relationship of parent and child that is recognized at law is then followed in determining….

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Charitable Matching Funds

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As a fundraiser at a university in the early 1990s I discovered that a primary extra incentive for major charitable gifts is matching funds.  Typically from government sources, matching funds are compelling to donors and important fundraising tools for a lucky few charities.  Unfortunately they create an uneven playing field in the charitable sector. Matching programs are varied and often short-lived, but in every case they represent a government priority. Examples….

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Charitable Giving, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Thin Management Plan; no Guardianship

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There are many reasons why a person may wish to have someone else assist with the management of their finances or personal care decisions.  One reason could be because he/she will be away from home for a period of time and needs someone to look after their financial affairs while they are gone.  Or, it could be because of diminishing capacity to handle one’s financial and personal care decisions. In….

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Donation Shelters: A Tale of Financial Misadventure

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Due to my conservative nature and my belief that something that looks too good to be true often is, I have been always nervous about people participating in what appear to be very aggressive charitable donation shelters and people who promote them, particularly shelters which appear to catch the attention of the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) from inception. Recently, I read about a case about a taxpayer who participated in….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, In the News, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Tax Issues, Uncategorized

The Advisor as Executor: Risks and Rewards

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Introduction [1] It is not uncommon for a client to ask a professional advisor to act as his or her executor. For the advisor, this request may be an honour, as it speaks to the level of trust the client has in the advisor’s professional knowledge and judgment. The appointment may also be lucrative for an advisor: clients may agree that the advisor should be compensated from their estate by….

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Esther the Pig and Animal Sanctuaries

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[caption id="attachment_6858" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photograph by Rob MacInnis in a page shot from The Walrus, September 2018[/caption] I am fortunate to work with many animal lovers on their philanthropic estate plans. They are interested in a wide range of  animals and issues. A recent article in The Walrus magazine about the animal sanctuary, registered charity and social media phenomenon Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary highlights a number of key estate planning….

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Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized
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