Estate Planning

Recently a priest friend of mine who is serving in another diocese shared with me a story about the death of one of his parishioners. 

Retirement brought an end to what Catherine von Zuben called “35 wonderful years in education” where she felt she made a difference in the lives of children under her care.

Your death may be end of life, but it’s not the end of the bills. Aside from burial costs and cleaning up the monthly household bills, the executor of the estate will usually be faced with probate fees.

Bill Olynyk often wondered how he could further support his parish, St. Mary’s in Barrie, Ont. 

St. John Paul II called organ donation a “genuine act of love.” Pope Benedict XVI is a registered organ donor and urges others to follow suit. For many people, offering this gift of life is intrinsic to their estate planning. Here is one story of how signing a donor card saved a life. 

A gift in kind to your favourite charity is always good for a tax receipt, but arriving at the gift’s fair market value can be difficult.

It seems easy and straightforward. You make out your Will, you divide your assets between family, charitable causes and other beneficiaries and all is said and done — your wishes now in writing and detailed for those who survive you.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to “speak” from the grave and tell your loved ones how you would like things handled after you die? 

Msgr. Sam Bianco still remembers the week five decades ago when he couldn’t get rid of the chills. As a seminarian at St. Basil’s Seminary in the Toronto School of Theology, he took a course called the inner-city plunge, which challenged participants to live the life of a street person for a week.

Situations change, so it is important to regularly review your estate plan and keep it up to date. Here are some things to consider and questions to answer to ensure that you keep the future of yourself and your family on track