Donations 101: A Canadian Guide to Tax-Smart Charitable Giving

In this episode, Lawrence Greenberg and Jackson Matthews kick off a three-part series on charitable giving in Canada.

Lawrence and Jackson break down the different ways to give, how charitable donations affect your taxes, and how to plan strategically around your giving. They cover everything from the basic cash donation to the more powerful — and often overlooked — strategy of gifting securities in kind, which can generate significant tax savings for both the donor and the charity.

They also touch on corporate giving, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), annual donation limits, estate planning opportunities, and offer a preview of two advanced strategies — donor advised funds and flow-through shares — that will be explored in depth in the next two episodes.

A must-listen for anyone who wants to be more intentional and tax-efficient with their generosity.

Happy listening!

Key Topics Covered:

• Introduction and overview of the three-part series (00:46)
• Ways to give: time, items, cash, and securities (01:12)
• How charitable donations affect your taxes — the non-refundable tax credit explained (02:34)
• Spousal pooling of donation receipts (03:46)
• Cash donation vs. gifting securities in kind — and why in kind is often more powerful (05:03)
• Corporate giving from a holding company and the Capital Dividend Account (07:29)
• The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) — a potential roadblock for large donors (08:37)
• Annual donation limits and the five-year carry-forward rule (10:06)
• Year of death exception — increasing your limit to 100% of net income (11:39)
• Preview: Donor Advised Funds explained at a high level (12:53)
• Preview: Flow-through shares and their tax advantages (14:13)
• Key takeaways — including why gifting securities in kind is the low-hanging fruit for non-registered account holders (15:04)

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