Combining family medicine and anaesthesiology, Canmore, Alberta-based Tracy Thomson has done everything from delivering babies to working with senior provincial health officials in panels and consultations relating to the future of medicine and health care in Alberta.

Over the course of her twenty-odd years of practice, Dr. Thomson has learned to balance strong financial stewardship, a passion for caring and helping, and an adventurous spirit that has taken her family to China, Central America and other destinations.

In 2005, Dr. Thomson attended a talk by Joline Godfrey, author of the bestseller Raising Financially Fit Kids. The book offers a variety of strategies related to helping youngsters become financially responsible, and the process has taken on a life of its own at the Thomson family dinner table.

“The book recommends that children spend about a third, put a third into savings and give one third to charity,” explains Dr. Thomson, “and even with six-year-old twins and an eight-year-old, this means we have meaningful discussions about how money fits into our world as a family and as individuals.”

“My children and my partner and I talk very freely about saving, spending and giving—something I think ought to be on the radar screen even with children that young,” continues Dr. Thomson. “In terms of charitable giving, my three boys identify issues and causes, simply based on what they observe, see on television or read about. They are allowed to designate funds to the causes they choose. And perhaps the most wonderful thing about the process was that it made me really revisit where I was heading with my own giving.”

The answer for Tracy Thomson was to work with the Canadian Medical Foundation to create a Donor Advised Fund, a process finalized late in 2007. Dr. Thomson sees the DAF as a key component of the family’s giving future.

“The notion of a DAF really appealed to me as the fund’s principal will be held in perpetuity, and if something happens to me, the children will be able to determine the causes and issues that the Fund will address. I also really appreciate the ‘one stop shop’ aspect of the Foundation’s DAF program, because it is a simple device that provides a single, low-cost focal point for our philanthropic activities.

“I see great merit in the fact that MD Financial underwrites the bulk of administrative costs. That is a real strength compared to the kinds of fees other organizations charge and the slowness with which your money gets put in a place where it can help people.”

And how does Tracy Thomson spend her “spending” portion? “I’m not really very materialistic, so it’s not about having the latest, greatest stuff. Books are my biggest weakness. If I head into a Chapters store, it is all over. And of course, part of my long-term plan will be to try and find time to read some of my books… some day.”