In my last blog I referred to Thomas Piketty’s new book, ‘Capital in the Twenty First Century’. Thomas Piketty is an acclaimed economist and his book is a compilation of extensive studies about capital and capital flows. Capital has a variety of different meanings. In this book ‘capital’ is defined as the value of all […]
Capital Inheritances; Further Thoughts Continue Reading »
Estate PlanningFor some time I have intuitively believed that because individuals are living longer that estate transfer values must be on the decline. I also believe this statement jives with Modigliani’s ‘life-cycle’ theory that essentially suggests that individuals accumulate capital primarily for retirement, not necessarily to create an ‘Estate’. Thomas Piketty, a Professor at the Paris School of Economics, recently authored a book ‘Capital in the Twenty First Century’. His book….
Inheritances and the Wealth Transfer in the 21st Century Continue Reading »
Estate PlanningFacebook advise that they now have over 1.25 billion account owners. It is estimated that there are over 17 million users in Canada and the over age 65 age group is the fastest growing segment. It is also estimated that 30 million facebook account owners have died and 10% have memorial pages. These are very large numbers for something that is in its infancy. I have been following some of….
The size and scope of social media is a challenge for estate planning Continue Reading »
Estate LitigationI have been thinking a lot about education over the past few weeks. Perhaps it’s because my daughter is graduating from high school later this month, at least that is what she tells me. Education has come up in a different context, several times over the past year or two. More specifically, I have been asked how can one get involved into the exciting and action packed business of Estates….
Estate & Trust Education Continue Reading »
Estate Planning, Home-RightThis is my 4th annual year end investment review for Trusts. Last year at this time, I went out on a limb and quoted a Globe & Mail reporter who predicted that the equity investment returns for 2013 would be 6% plus or minus 29%. You will be happy to know that the equity returns were within the parameters that were predicted at the beginning of the year, although just….
Investment Review 2013 Continue Reading »
Estate PlanningThere are some trends emerging in the High Net Wealth Individual segment to watch for in the context of Estate planning advice. ….
The High Net Wealth Segment Continue Reading »
Estate Planning, Succession Planning