Estate Planning

Your guide to finding unclaimed bank balances

Your guide to finding unclaimed bank balances

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So your reclusive Uncle Steve suddenly dies leaving no Will or documentation regarding his finances or estate. You always knew he had some money, but you have gone through his home looking for any documents that will help and have come up empty.

A Funeral Mass marks the departure from this life to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s the least we can do for a loved one.

We owe a loved one the dignity of a proper funeral

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When the Christian community gathers to celebrate a Funeral Mass, it gathers as members of the Church on Earth to say farewell to a loved one and entrust their soul, through the mercy of God, to Heaven.

Legal disputes are easily avoided if you draft a proper Will, with legal advice.

The right words are critical in making a Will

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As the saying goes, words can hurt. That is especially true in a Will, where even the most minor of language mistakes can have a dramatic impact on how assets are split.

Fr. Peter Rosettis' estate plan underlined his love of the Churhc

Shepherds’ Trust ensures priests who cared for you will be cared for as well

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Before the death of Fr. Peter Rosettis in 2003, he drafted an estate plan to ensure three things happened after his funeral.

Quentin Schesnuik has seen plenty in his role as manager of planned giving and personal gifts with the Archdiocese of Toronto. Phil and his silver bars, however, is the stuff of legend.

An odd encounter: shotguns, silver bars, a priest and a guy named Phil

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The old man’s white beard shook as his quivering lips whispered, “The entire world financial system is about to collapse. An armoured car will arrive in 15 minutes to deliver me a truckload of silver bars worth about a quarter million dollars. If you come with me now, half of them are for you.”

Without a power of attorney, the government may end up controlling your assets.

Power of attorney is for everyone

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Get a lawyer. Get a will. Get a power of attorney — in fact, get two. These aren’t tricky or exclusive legal arrangements for rich people. Ordinary, average Canadians need these documents.

St. Margaret’s parish in Midland, Ont., is like many rural Ontario parishes in that it needs to look at creative ways to make ends meet. Pastor Fr. Jim McLenaghen is looking at ways to keep a Catholic presence in the pictureque town.

Bequests a good way to thank parish that shaped you

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A Catholic parish is not unlike your household: there are bills to pay and only so many dollars available to keep operations running smoothly.

Those who are actively religious are more apt to donate to charitable causes, but concerns have been raised that as religious conviction wanes among youth, charitable giving may decline in the future.

What the future holds for charitable giving

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A sampling of philanthropists in Canada shows that people who are active in their religion are more generous. It’s unlikely most people would disagree with such a finding.

Fr. Donatello Iocco, left, with St. Ambrose Church organist Gregory Furmanczyk at the Allen AP-35 organ a donor gave to the parish.

A gift in-kind is often better than cash, Toronto's St. Ambrose parish finds out

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TORONTO – Cash may be king, but to a parish in need, a donation in kind is just as majestic.

The Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus got a welcome surprise donation that has allowed the order to do renovations to its chapel in Zephyr, Ont.

‘Great surprise’ funds much-needed renovations in convent chapel

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Inside the sealed envelope, the instructions from the mystery donor were clear.

Beware the roller coaster ride of the market and invest in a gift annuity — a wise way to balance retirement.

You and charity benefit from a gift annuity

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Given the current climate of low-interest rates and roller-coaster markets causing people to think twice about their financial decisions, many people may wish to consider the benefits of a charitable gift annuity.

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