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Gift and Estate Planning

Gifts in wills

Questions about wills and estate planning?

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Gifts in wills are the most common, and often the most straightforward planned gifts. To make a bequest to UBC, your lawyer or notary simply prepares a new will or adds a codicil to an existing will.

Benefits of leaving a gift in your will:

A bequest costs nothing now, yet allows you to support something you care about.

You may change your will at any time if your circumstances change.

Retain control and use of your assets during your lifetime.

Receive a donation receipt for use against 100% of your net income in the year of passing and in the preceding year.

With recent tax changes, your estate may now also claim tax credits in subsequent years.

Things to consider

Before getting started, consider what you wish to support on campus and the type of bequest you wish to leave:

Specific Bequest: You may designate a specific dollar amount or property such as real estate, securities or artworks that you wish to leave to the university.

Residual Bequest: You may donate all or a portion of your estate to the university after all debts, taxes, expenses and other bequests (gifts to loved ones) have been paid.

Bequests are tax creditable. Your estate receives a donation receipt for the value of your bequest, which can substantially reduce or even eliminate taxes owing at the time of. For more information, please see Tax Benefits of Estate Gifts.

What to do next?

Please let us know if you have included UBC in your will. Then:

  • We can ensure that we at UBC fully understand your gift intentions and can most effectively implement your wishes.
  • We can advise on planning options that might help reduce your taxes or increase your current income.
  • We would like to recognize your contribution to UBC and welcome you to the UBC Heritage Circle, if desired.

Support

Ways we can help

Bequest basics

When planning for a bequest, you will need to consider how you would like your gift to be used to benefit UBC—whether unrestricted in purpose or restricted to a specific school or purpose, and whether you would like it to be an expendable fund (to be spent when received) or an endowed fund (to last in perpetuity).

Sample will wording

If you would like to learn more about wills and estate planning, we would be pleased to help. We can answer your questions about general estate planning and provide additional information on endowments, student awards and the other gift opportunities at UBC. We also can help you, your lawyer or notary draft customized wording for your will.

Donor stories

Your support in action

An estate gift to change the story for Alzheimer’s patients

After her husband Jock passed away, Irene Graham decided she wanted to help change the story for patients with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. She created the Jock and Irene Graham Brain Research Endowment Fund at UBC.

Theatre professionals encourage students through planned gifts

Acclaimed director and writer Morris Panych and set designer Ken MacDonald are partners in work and life. They are also UBC alumni and, thanks to their shared belief in the importance of theatre, have endowed prizes in UBC’s Theatre Department.

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Where can I get more information?

If you would like to learn more about wills and estate planning, we would be pleased to help. We can answer your questions about general estate planning and provide additional information on endowments, student awards and the other gift opportunities at UBC. We also can help you, your lawyer or notary draft customized wording for your will. Please contact us.

Learn more about planned giving at UBC
More information