One cannot be engaged in an estate planning practice without being asked “why do I need a Will”. For those living family members of the recently departed entertainer, Prince, the answer will, unfortunately become all too clear. According to numerous news reports, the iconic entertainer died without a Will. As a result, the surviving family, comprised of siblings and half-siblings, can expect the legal issues to carry-on for quite some time before their brother can truly rest-in-peace.
Month: April 2016
Total 22 Posts
I teamed up with my fellow blogger Derek de Gannes to share important information needed for this tax season. According to Statistics Canada, twenty – eight percent of Canadians are providing unpaid care to a family or friend. We know that the cost of caring is high, both emotionally and financially. We thought that it would be helpful to include some tips and information regarding what goods and services might be eligible for a medical tax exemption or a non refundable tax credit.
The polarized perspectives on Physician Assisted Dying (PAD) mean that no matter where the Federal Government landed on the specific details of the implementation of the Carter v Canada decision, there would be a guaranteed outcry from one or both of the poles – those representing autonomy under the Charter…
Applications to pass accounts are a formal review process of an estate trustee’s (or other types of trustee or guardian) actions in administering an estate. The application is started by the estate trustee, on notice to all beneficiaries of the estate. The beneficiaries are given the opportunity to scrutinize the…
In a recent blog, I wrote that the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) was asked whether the six month extension for making educational assistance payments (“EAPs”) out of a registered education savings plan (“RESP”) under the appropriate subsection of the Income Tax Act (the “Act”) can apply when the beneficiary under…
I recently received an email from the member services department of the Canadian Bar Association which began as follows: “30% of our clients are lawyers that accept personal executor appointments. If it’s good for the lawyer, shouldn’t you tell your estate executor clients that it’s good for them, too?” The…
In Will drafting, it is common to include beneficiary designations for life insurance, TFSAs and RRSPS/RRIFs, but sometimes pension plans are overlooked. If the client has a spouse (married or common law), the spouse will automatically receive the client’s pension survivor benefits pursuant to Ontario law. However, members of a plan generally have the ability to designate a non-spouse beneficiary to receive benefits in the event that they die with no spouse surviving. In Ontario, the ability to designate a beneficiary by Will to receive benefits from a pension plan on a member’s death is found in sections 50 and 51 of the Succession Law Reform Act.
What does palliative care mean to you? Is it a treatment you would welcome or a place you would rather not be?
At long last, cottage season is upon us. As I gaze longingly out my window at the construction of what looks like an awesome rooftop patio in the making, I thought it would be fitting to write about a cottage dispute.[1] A really, really expensive cottage dispute. The background was…
Other bloggers have written in this forum on matters related to the tax liability of the deceased – how the liability is determined, when the payment is due, how to minimize the liability and on. Another decision to be made by the trustee is to determine how to fund the payment once the amount has been crystallized.