According to a recent study conducted by IPSOS for RBC Royal Trust, younger Canadians are more philanthropic when it comes to estate planning and are more likely to give instructions on how their digital assets should be handled after their death.

The age dispersion of individuals requesting to include charitable giving in their wills:

  • 53 percent of Canadians ages 18-34
  • One-quarter of 35-54-year-olds
  • 13 percent of those 55+. 

Digitally connected generations with multiple social accounts and online profiles, younger Canadians (ages 18-34, 48 percent; and ages 35-54, 40 percent) are more likely to direct their executor on how to handle their digital assets after they die, compared to one in three who are 55+.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, these younger Canadians are also significantly more likely (ages 18-34, 19 percent; and ages 35-54, 23 percent) to prefer facilitating their wills online. Read the full report here.