Yesterday was the first night of Chanukah and it was welcomed along with the first real, ground covering snow fall. Today the sun is shining and I am hopeful that all of the lovely white stuff, that is no longer white today, will melt away. I baked holiday cookies yesterday and had a wonderful family dinner eating too many latkes. For many of us, traditions are a good thing; they….
Happy Monday Continue Reading »
Elder Care
Software Applications as Aids to the Estates Advisor For all of us advisors, there are likely certain types of software applications that we use for our day-to-day tasks: perhaps its Microsoft Outlook for sending emails, or a timekeeping software for recording dockets. And although these programs are leaps and bounds beyond what our advisor ancestors could have imagined for themselves a hundred years ago, as we head deeper into the….
Software Applications as Aids to the Estates Advisor Continue Reading »
Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Executors, Fiduciary Professions, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, Trustee, WillsThis blog was written by Suzanne Singh For several years our company had been “D’s” appointed attorney under her POA. Up until her late-eighties D was independent and occasionally took a bus downtown to drop by our office to invite me for coffee; she would share stories of her youth in rural Ontario and her adventures as a young married woman in post-WWII era Winnipeg. She was charismatic and engaging….
Things Left Behind Continue Reading »
UncategorizedNow that border crossings have opened, many families will be traveling this week for the American Thanksgiving holiday. If you live in a different city than your parents, the time spent together during the holiday can allow you to see how well they are managing. Be aware of the small things and things that are different. For example, are you noticing weight loss, balance issues, is Mom now finishing Dad’s….
Please Pass the Turkey Continue Reading »
CaregivingToday’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP With winter sneaking up on us (rather quickly, I might add) and the travel bans slowly being lifted, we’re bound to get an influx of calls and e-mails from clients wanting to update their estate plans or check in to make sure everything is as it should be. If you find yourself in this situation, here are a….
Think about your Estate Plan before you travel… Continue Reading »
Estate Planning, Uncategorized“Name That Charity” sounds like a failed 1960s game show. Instead, it is an approach to estate planning that paradoxically may discourage charitable giving. This is an observation made by Kathy Hawkesworth of the Edmonton Community Foundation in a recent presentation to the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioner (STEP). Kathy’s point is financial advisors and estate lawyers often put their clients on the spot. Do they have charitable interests?….
Name That Charity! Continue Reading »
Charitable Giving, Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized