Leave a Gift in your Will

At the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, we believe completing your Will and Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property makes you a Super Hero. Why? Because you are protecting those you care about, your assets and, if you leave a charitable bequest to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan in your Will, you will help us defeat dementia – a formidable foe!

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

Why planned giving makes sense

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

Consider these startling facts:

• More than 50% of Canadians do not have a proper Will.
• More than 70% of Canadians do not have Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property.
• Over 19,000 people in Saskatchewan are currently living with dementia.
• Women represent 72% of all Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease.
• The federal government provides tax breaks to Canadians who leave a charitable gift in their Will.

Do you really need a Will?

Here are a few reasons why a Will is such an important document –

Protection: A Will protects those you care about, whether your family or a charity you support.

Common sense: You have worked hard. Why not make sure that the assets you worked so hard to accumulate go where you want them to go.

Minimize expense. To help you prepare a legally sound Will, you need to work with a professional. A well-prepared Will can save you money by reducing taxes and administration costs. And did you know that leaving a gift to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan in your Will could help you leave more to your beneficiaries and pay less tax?

Control. You can decide who will be the Executor/Trustee of your Will, who will look after your kids and who will benefit from your lifetime of work.

Because you say so! If you die without a Will, the Saskatchewan government will decide how your assets will be divided—not you. Want greater control of your assets? Do your Will.

You have more to leave than you think. Personal items often have great value, whether sentimental or financial. Write these items into your Will and make sure they go to the person who will appreciate them most.

Peace of mind. 1 in 10 seniors has dementia. Did you know that a person must have the mental capacity to sign legal documents? Now is the time to get your affairs in order and ensure that your wishes can be fulfilled.

Life happens. Do you already have a Will? If you’ve gotten divorced or remarried, if you’ve already given away an asset you were planning to donate, or if you no longer need guardians, you’ll need to make changes to your Will.

Plan…for your living. Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property detail your personal wishes regarding your medical treatment and finances if you are unable to make decisions.

Please don’t procrastinate. Get started today! Order your free Estate Planner and Guide by submitting our request form or call Kaleta Strain at 306-949-0640.

Planning for Peace of Mind

Planning for the future involves more than just making a Will. It’s also the perfect time to discuss why you need a Power of Attorney for Property and Personal Care. Over 70% of Canadians do not have these critical documents, which can have serious consequences if you or your family member becomes incapacitated due to dementia, an accident or any other health issue.

Having these documents ready is like purchasing insurance. You are prepared for the future.

What do Power of Attorney for Property and Personal Care do?

Continuing Power of Attorney for Property

An Attorney for Property’s duties and authority often include:

• Ensuring that your bills are paid and financial accounts kept in good standing.
• Applying for pension and insurance benefits.
• Making sure income is used for your benefit and care.
• Maintaining your residence and adapting it to your changing needs or, if necessary, sold.
• Signing legal papers including contracts for services like your telephone or cable TV, leases, real estate documents.

Power of Attorney for Personal Care

An Attorney for Personal Care is charged with making decisions and acting on wishes relating to:

• Where you live.
• Medical treatments and care.
• Consent to those treatments.
• End of life decision.

For both personal care and property, consider the following questions and speak to your legal advisor about how to prepare the documents that reflect your values and wishes:

• Who do you trust to be organized and honest with your financial affairs?
• Who do you trust to respect your expressed wishes for decisions such as future health care and living arrangements?
• If you are considering multiple attorneys, do those individuals get along?
• Do your proposed attorneys live nearby so that they can help in an emergency?
• Are your proposed attorneys likely to communicate well with your family and friends, will they foster your independence and put your needs ahead of their own wishes?
• Have you talked about your wishes with your substitute decision-makers, in particular, and your family as a whole?
• Do you have your financial information gathered so that your substitute decision-maker can locate your assets, your creditors and make sure that your financial interests are looked after?

Please don’t procrastinate. Get started today! Order your free Estate Planner and Guide by submitting our request form or call Kaleta Strain at 306-949-0640.

Legal Information

Legal Name: Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan

Charitable registration number: 12996 3617 RR0001

Sample bequest language

Specific, unrestricted:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan the sum of $ to be used for any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

Specific, restricted with an escape clause:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan the sum of $ to be used for the following purpose(s). If the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is unable to apply all or part of these funds for the specific purpose(s) stated herein, the balance of this bequest not so extended may be used for any purpose approved by the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

General % unrestricted:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan % of the residue of my estate to be used for any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

General %, restricted with an escape clause:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, % of my estate to be used for the following purpose(s). If the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is unable to apply all or part of these funds for the specific purpose(s) stated herein, the balance of this bequest not so extended may be used for

any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

Residual contingent trust:

Upon the death of the survivor of my (wife, husband, daughter, son etc.) here named,

I direct my trustee to transfer and deliver the balance of the residue of my Estate, including any undistributed income to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan to be used for any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

Charitable Clause with instructions to Trustee/Executor re: capital gains elimination:

I give, devise and bequeath an undetermined amount of my estate to be divided equally to the list of charities that I supported in my lifetime. See Letter of Direction attached for the list. These charities shall receive assets such as publicly-traded securities and mutual funds in order to reduce the capital gains owing against my estate. I further instruct my Trustee to calculate the amount of such donations to negate any capital gains owing within the rules and regulations determined by the Canada Revenue Agency.