Posts by James Burden
Markets Are Looking Up, and Your Charitable Giving Can Too
Instead of spending fun times at our favourite amusement parks over the past few months, many of us have been riding a different kind of a rollercoaster. Along with businesses and charities, investors white-knuckled it through volatile market ups and downs this spring and early summer as the world figured out the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Thankfully, markets today have largely recovered, and most stocks and mutual funds have…
Read MoreSupport Your Favourite Charity with Gifts of Securities
Fred Smith* is a big-hearted man, and has always donated a percentage of his annual income to charity. When the homeless shelter in his city launched a fundraising campaign to construct a new building, he decided to give them an extra $10,000 above his annual support. Fred was excitedly telling a friend about the project over lunch one day when his friend told…
Read MoreA Generosity Mindset
Even though it’s been a few years since my kids were in school, our household still settles back into new routines this time of year. My wife and I sit down in September and fill out the calendar with our various commitments. While this activity has the potential to feel overwhelming, I’ve found that taking…
Read MoreThe True North, Strong and Generous
In 2007, I embarked on one of the biggest adventures of my life. I moved to Ontario from my home in the UK. Like most immigrants, I was seeking new opportunities and a better quality of life. I never imagined that becoming Canadian would teach me to adopt a lifestyle fully grounded in generosity. Before…
Read MoreThe Freedom of Disciplined Giving
Growing up in Enniskillen, Ireland, Albert Elliott learned to practice generosity from a young age. His parents faithfully supported their local church, including encouraging their son to place his own bit of money into the collection plate every Sunday. He was also deeply influenced by an aunt who gave generously to help others. “She used to…
Read MoreGenerosity Full Circle
“I still remember opening the door to that first house and seeing everything was laid out with all the amenities. We felt that warmth. We felt that love,” Vinh Huynh says, recalling the day his family first arrived in Birtle, Manitoba. It was 1979, and this homecoming marked the end of a harrowing journey from…
Read MorePreparing Your Harvest of Generosity
With non-essential travel restricted this summer, my wife and I have rediscovered the joy of our own backyard. This is certainly a change of pace from the usual schedule of visits and activities, but it has given us a chance to relax, reconnect, and appreciate the fruit trees, shrubs and grape vines we’ve planted over…
Read MoreReversal of Fortune
As an engineering student at the University of Calgary, Abundance Canada client Ken Godard never expected one of the most valuable lessons he’d learn would be about generosity. “I was a young man putting myself through University and I didn’t qualify for any student loans,” he explains. A strict budget allowed him to cover his…
Read MoreSaving to Give
Savings jars have been around since ancient times, and even though e-transfers and banking apps might be more convenient, families all over the world still use them to teach children about money. Abundance Canada client Henry Friesen will never forget the lessons he learned from the savings jar that sat in his family’s kitchen cupboard.…
Read More