Plan a legacy

Power of Wills

If you have assets, you need a Will. Why?

• It can save you money by reducing taxes and administration costs.
• It protects those you care about, whether your family or a charity you support.
• You can decide who will be the executor of your Will, who will look after your kids and who will benefit from your lifetime of work. 

But are you like over half of Canadians who might not have planned for the final distribution of the assets that took you an entire lifetime to build?

Many people procrastinate writing a Will because they think their family or the government will look after everything for them, or they just “never get around to it.”

But consider the facts:

• More than 50% of Canadians do not have a Will.
• More than 70% of Canadians do not have Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property.
• One in 10 Ontarian over the age of 65 is living with dementia.
• Women represent 72% of all Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease.

When dementia and procrastination team up, they wreak havoc. If mental capacity issues arise, you will not be able to sign legal documents. Court proceedings may be necessary to access a person’s finances or health records. This process can be time-consuming, expensive and stressful.

Options for planned giving

• Bequests
• Life insurance
• Registered plans (RRSPs and RRIFs)
• Charitable annuities
• Charitable trusts
• Securities and mutual funds
• Named funds (expendable and endowed)

Note: Information about these options is not intended as specific financial planning or legal advice. You should always consult your legal advisors, financial planners and family members when considering a planned gift.

 

Why leave a legacy

Learn more...a conversation with trust advisor Gordon MacDonald.

 

How to make planned gift

Subscribe to Reflections, the Alzheimer Society's gift planning newsletter, sent twice year to friends and supporters with an interest in legacy giving.

View or download our Leaving a Legacy brochure.

Leave a Legacy™

The Alzheimer Society is proud to be a participant in Leave a Legacy. A program of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), Leave a Legacy is a collaborative effort designed to encourage people from all walks of life to make gifts from their estates to the charitable organization of their choice. The initiative is supported by charities, community foundations, estate planning professionals, corporate sponsors and the media.