Posts by James Burden
A gift to charity can save you thousands on capital gains taxes
Do you own shares in a demutualized insurance company? Demutualization is a process by which a member-owned company, such as a co-op, or a mutual life insurance company legally changes its structure, in order to become a publicly traded company owned by shareholders. Recently, Economical Mutual Insurance Company demutualized and became Definity Financial Corporation (trading…
Read MoreA Little Planning Goes a Long Way
Jack and Linda’s house was quiet now. After more than 25 years of family busyness, all of their children had moved out to start their own careers and families. This new phase of life brought the empty nesters time and space to reflect and reminisce. Retirement was on the horizon, and Jack and Linda were eager to avoid the…
Read MorePlanning for a Generous New Year
Lee and Ayako* had weathered the recent economic shifts and shutdowns relatively well, but many in their community had not been so fortunate. Some friends and neighbours lost their jobs. Businesses went under. Local charities shut their doors for good. It was heartbreaking. Lee and Ayako had always dreamed about establishing their own charitable gifting…
Read MoreA New Holiday Tradition
Christmas is just around the corner and there are still lots of opportunities to practice generosity this season. Unfortunately, high inflation rates and increased risk of illness have only heightened the usual stress of buying gifts for family and friends and catching up on charitable giving before the end of the year. While Matthew and…
Read MoreDreams of Generosity
Melanie* worked hard running a successful business. And “run” was absolutely the right word to describe it – every day she was racing in several different directions and the Christmas season only added to the pressure. When Melanie finally sat down to review her annual charitable donations, her heart sank. She had made one-off gifts…
Read MoreUnited by the Joy of Giving
In his book, The Genius of Generosity, pastor and author Chip Ingram tells the story of assisting an elderly businessman’s strategic plan for generosity. After a successful career, Jim Saville wanted to share his money with the underprivileged, but he didn’t know how to connect with the people he hoped to help. Chip was a twenty-something…
Read MoreThe Year-End Dash for Charitable Giving!
As the year draws to a close, people are making that last dash to send a charitable donation before the year-end to make the most of their tax credit and support a worthy cause. If it’s the first time you’re making a charitable donation, especially a significant amount, with approximately 86,000 charities to choose from…
Read MoreLeaving a Legacy: What Does This Look Like?
In the charity world, we talk a lot about legacy. But, what does legacy mean and what does it look like to leave one that is meaningful? Let’s take a closer look at this popular term and what it might look like for you. Legacy by Definition Legacy means different things depending on the context.…
Read MoreGiving in Retirement
Retirement. At twenty, we rarely think about it. At 45, we dream about it. And, at 55 we worry about it. A significant amount of financial planning tends to focus on that time in life when, as the saying goes, we “finally stop working and start living.” But what about our charitable giving? When we…
Read More