Would you like to know that you have made a significant and lasting contribution to life in Canada? When you volunteer with or donate to charity, you are showing that you want to make a positive impact on the world we live in. You are changing lives through literacy.
One way to ensure that United for Literacy can continue to change lives through literacy is by including us in your will. Everyone—regardless of income or wealth—should have a will to ensure that their wishes are recognized in the future.
It’s not always easy to talk about estate planning. Yet, as you might prepare a weekly budget or five-year plan, creating a will is a valuable process that will give you—and those you care about—peace of mind.
If you have already made your will, that’s an excellent step in knowing your wishes will be respected. Making a bequest to charity ensures that causes that are important to you will continue to do the work you believe in. It also alleviates taxes for the people named in your will. If you’d like to include United for Literacy in your will, please visit our website or email Kathleen A. Provost, Vice President, Philanthropy & Communications.
Although planning for the future is an important part of everyone’s life, many people feel overwhelmed by the idea of making a will. According to an Angus Reid poll, approximately 51% of people don’t have a will. Time, difficulty, and cost are often named as reasons why.
Good news! United for Literacy has partnered with Willfora. Willfora is a Canadian company that emphasizes giving to charitable causes. Creating a will through Willfora only takes about 20 minutes to complete and, best of all, it’s free for you!
Read on to find out who should have a will and when you should make yours.
There are lots of reasons people decide to draft their first will. Over the years, you may choose to change benefactors and make other adjustments, but it’s important to take the first step in planning for the future.
Major life events that inspire people to make a will include:
Marriageor civil union. A will can make inheritance faster, simpler, and less stressful for couples. Depending on location, common law partners aren’t guaranteed recipients of a spouse’s assets, which makes a will even more important.
Having a child. When children are part of your life, it’s important to have a will that ensures they’ll be taken care of, if necessary. If you already have a will, be sure to update it at the birth or adoption of your child.
Buying property, vehicles, or other assets. Make sure your valuables are given to the person, or people, you care about.
Everyone, regardless of family or possessions, deserves the peace of mind that comes with making your wishes clear. With a will, these wishes are also legally binding. A will can also help you determine who will take care of your dog, budgie, goldfish, or other furry, feathered, or scaly friend if something happens to you.
Creating your will when not also dealing with a serious illness or other health concerns is less stressful than waiting until it is urgent. It’s important to remember that, as your life evolves, you can change your will whenever necessary.
Creating a will is an important part of a person’s life, and it shouldn’t have to be complicated. Planning your family’s future today will give you peace of mind tomorrow. Making a will with Willfora takes about 20 minutes. It’s secure and free for individuals. Having your wishes detailed in a will can save your loved ones worry and stress in the future. In Canada, dying without a will generally means that any money is withheld until the court determines the order of inheritance. This can take a lot of time and may result in disagreements. Worse, people who don’t know you or your values will make decisions that affect your loved ones.
No matter your age or life stage, a living will allows you to leave a legacy to protect loved ones and support causes you cherish. By naming United for Literacy in your will, you can leave a legacy of hope, helping support future generations of children, youth, and adults working to strengthen their literacy skills.
A bequest to charity in your will is a simple way to lower taxes for your estate heirs and is a good philanthropic choice. A bequest in your will makes a significant and positive impact on the lives of people in Canada for years to come.
Willfora’s confidential, secure will-writing platform makes it easy to create or update your will from home. It also gives you the option to support causes that are important to you. This way, you can show your care for those you love, while helping United for Literacy. That’s a great legacy to leave.
Whether a one-time gift of a specific amount or a residual gift of a percentage of your estate, your legacy gift to United for Literacy makes a real impact. Our literacy programsfor children, youth, adults, seniors, and families are driven by volunteersand are offered free of charge. When you make a promise of a gift to United for Literacy, it helps us see the future. We can continue to offer high-quality, effective programs to improve literacy in Canada. These programs include homework clubs, reading tents, workplace and essential skills classes, and family literacy discussion groups.
Your future gift to United for Literacy will be visible to us, which will allow us to offer our thanks for your investment in the people of Canada. It will also give us the opportunity to speak with you about and determine if you’d still like to be part of our scheduled fundraising campaigns and events.
Your legacy gift allows us to plan for the future knowing that people believe in our mission of changing lives through literacy.
The same rules apply to online wills as with those created with a lawyer. Unless an addition—known as a codicil—is added to the existing will, then the creation and signing of a new will with language revoking other wills and codicils will take effect. This will ensure that a person has only one living will.
