{"id":5341,"date":"2026-08-25T11:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T18:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/?p=5341"},"modified":"2026-08-25T11:13:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T18:13:55","slug":"why-charitable-giving-is-missing-from-many-canadians-estate-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/articles\/2026\/08\/25\/why-charitable-giving-is-missing-from-many-canadians-estate-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Why charitable giving is missing from many Canadians\u2019 estate plans?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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There\u2019s an estate planning gap that widens when the subject of charitable giving comes into play, despite the benefits that philanthropy planning can offer.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mariska Loeppky was surprised at just how few Canadians had a plan for their charitable donations when she saw the results of the 2026 IG Wealth Management estate planning study<\/a>. This year\u2019s edition of the annual study found that only 29 per cent of Canadians have made plans for charitable giving in their estate in the event of cognitive decline, only 40 per cent have even had a discussion about how charitable gifts might be included in their estate plans. Loeppky, Assistant Vice-President, Tax & Estate Planning at IG Wealth Management<\/a>, sees this gap in the context of wider planning challenges that Canadians are dealing with. While 84 per cent of Canadians say an estate plan is important, only 41 per cent actually have one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Loeppky explained that these gaps can occur despite a broad consensus among Canadians that charitable giving and estate plans are important. 68 per cent believe in the importance of addressing charitable giving in their estate plans. She says that these gaps can occur because Canadians don\u2019t have adequate plans or understandings of those plans to address a topic like charitable giving.<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cYou need a base plan initially that says, \u2018all of your needs are going to be met, there\u2019s going to be excess. What would you like to do with that?\u2019 It really depends on the person as well. But I think people don\u2019t really think about charitable giving until they know they have that financial plan that already looks after themselves and maybe their kids,\u201d Loeppky says. \u201cWe do see a growing interest in being charitable primarily when they know they\u2019re going to be okay. And until they know that, it\u2019s even hard to pinpoint how much of a gift they\u2019re going to make.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How retirement risk shapes giving decisions<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Retirement comes with a host of uncertainties. Longevity sits first and foremost, along with market risk, sequence of returns risk, inflation risk, and the risk of expensive health issues. Amidst all that uncertainty and risk, it can be hard for someone thinking about retirement to plan for charitable donations, especially while they\u2019re still alive. Plans are the antidote to that risk, Loeppky explains, and when clients have a plan that accounts for all those risks, shows them where they\u2019ll end up in any market environment, and showcases <\/span>the additional benefits of lifetime charitable giving<\/span><\/a>, there can be space to give in meaningful ways.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From a planning perspective, charitable giving can be a useful tool when clients face major <\/span>liquidity<\/span><\/a> events. The sale or inheritance of a family cottage, for instance, can come with a host of tax issues given that property\u2019s likely appreciation over the past several years. The sale of a business or an investment property can also prove a useful time to connect with clients about charitable giving. Loeppky explains that even if clients are struggling with decision fatigue after a major <\/span>liquidity<\/a> event, talking about a giving plan can be a useful way to deal with a big tax bill and make a positive impact.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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While charitable giving has tax benefits, it\u2019s worthwhile to remind clients and advisors not to let the tax tail wag the dog. Loeppky stresses that money given to charity or put in a charitable vehicle like a donor advised fund (DAF)<\/a> is still a gift, one that still reduces the overall size of the estate. Clients who see that benefit, she says, are the ones who should be encouraged to participate in some kind of a philanthropy plan. From there, the advisor can work with the client family on tools like DAFs, which allow them to plan out their giving. Loeppky notes that in addition to the structured benefits that clients get from a DAF, many charities prefer a consistent annual gift over a single large lump sum.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why advisors need to play quarterback<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For all the benefits that clearly come from including charitable giving in estate plans<\/a>, the survey still found a significant gap between the importance Canadians place on these plans and the number of Canadians who actually have one. Loeppky says that there is a lack of collaboration between different professionals at work here. Estate planning in general, and philanthropy planning in particular, requires collaboration between advisors, lawyers, and accountants. Loeppky says the \u201cbiggest miss\u201d happens when each of those professionals is talking independently to a client and no connection is made. Advisors, she says, can work to set up those connections and play the quarterback role in a plan.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cIf you\u2019re the one who\u2019s driving the planning and you\u2019re really helping them with making all those decisions, I think then you\u2019re the trusted advisor,\u201d Loeppky says. \u201cAnd then when money needs to move\u2026 it just secures you as the trusted advisor that can help them with living the life the way that they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This article was written by David Kitai,\u00a0 first published on Wealthprofessional.ca<\/a> on June 11, 2026.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many Canadians value charitable giving, yet far fewer have incorporated it into their estate plans. Discover why the gap exists and how financial planners can help clients turn philanthropic intentions into meaningful plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5341"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5341"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5346,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5341\/revisions\/5346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}