Donald Kester (M.B.A. ’78)
Q: How long have you been an advisor in this field?
A: For over 25 years I’ve been helping clients make money decisions.
Q: Do you have experience advising clients who have arranged planned gifts? For how many years?
A: Yes – and quietly.
Q: Have you made arrangements for a personal planned gift?
A: Yes – for many of those 25 years.
Q: What is your personal philosophy of philanthropy, and gift planning, specifically?
A: This is a difficult and personal question. My opinions need not be imposed upon others. But, I am personally certain that meaningful and thoughtful gifts to Western will serve a real and lasting purpose. People give for many reasons: in gratitude, to further a particular cause, to help someone or something, or, perhaps to create a legacy that lives for generations. A good advisor can enhance his or her clients’ giving within a context of competing priorities.
Q: Are you a member of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners – locally and/or nationally?
A: No. As a US advisor, I’m not a member of the Canadian association. But I am very much able to guide a US taxpayer through the US income and estate tax laws in order to maximize the giving while minimizing the cost of giving – either to the donor or to his or her heirs.
