You Live Once but Die Twice: Don’t Be Forgotten
THE ACCIDENTAL PHILANTHROPIST® – MARK HALPERN By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P James Bond fans will remember that he faked his own death in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice. Of course, we all know (until further notice) that everyone lives but once. However, few people realize that …
Strategic Philanthropy: Help Donors Drop the Baggage
By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P I recently met with a successful family in the process of developing a succession plan to transition wealth to the second and third generations. Three potential scenarios were presented to them: Do an estate freeze and use cash on hand to pay tax bill …
The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
THE ACCIDENTAL PHILANTHROPIST® – MARK HALPERN Bad News for Canadian Philanthropy Starting in 2024 By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P Most Canadians still use cash, cheques and credit cards to make charitable donations. There are many better ways. One is to donate in-kind non-registered appreciated securities, such as stocks, …
We are stardust.
THINKING OUT LOUD – MARYANN KERR “Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” Paulo Freire By Maryann Kerr I’ve thought a lot about the work of Paulo Freire and Saul Alinsky in the context of …
A Radical Act of Democracy
Thinking Out Loud – Maryann Kerr By Maryann Kerr When I was young and marching in the streets of Toronto at anti-war, pro-choice, ‘save our education” and grape boycott demonstrations, the song we sang was We Shall Not Be Moved.1 Though I did not know it at the time, the …
Strategic Philanthropy: Using Life Insurance Just Got Easier
The Accidental Philanthropist – Mark Halpern By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P Strategic Philanthropy and the use of Life Insurance has been spoken about for a very long time, but it remains a narrow niche within the financial planning community. Accountants, lawyers, insurance advisors and estate planning professionals have set …
The Philanthropic Powers Of Life Insurance
The Accidental Philanthropist – Mark Halpern By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P In my 31 years of professional practice, I’ve had the good fortune of helping many successful business owners, entrepreneurs, incorporated professionals, and affluent families. A lot of my work has involved collaborating with their allied professionals specializing in …
Raised To Be Nice
Thinking Out Loud – Maryann Kerr By Maryann Kerr If you have not watched the film Deconstructing Karen on CBC’s The Passionate Eye1, I highly recommend it. The film documents the work of Saira Rao2 and Regina Jackson3 Co-Founders of the Race2Dinner4. Race2Dinner’s mission: … is simple — reveal the …
Philanthropic New Year’s Resolutions
The Accidental Philanthropist – Mark Halpern By Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P As a new year approaches, people often rush to make charitable donations to get a donation receipt that can be applied against 2022 taxes due. However, reaching for your chequebook or credit card to make last-minute donations …
Bring it On, 2023
Thinking Out Loud – Maryann Kerr By Maryann Kerr I’ve always wanted to write humorous pieces. Oh, to be witty and pithy and bring you a smile. But that’s just not me. Even at 11 years old, my writing was on topics like “growing up” and “why family matters.” …