Choosing an Appropriate Age for Young Beneficiaries to Inherit

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This Blog was written by: Daniel Watts, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust   A very common issue that arises in estate planning, especially when the clients have young children, is deciding when an appropriate age is for the children to receive their inheritance. Prior to this age, the inheritance will be held in trust for the beneficiary, and may be used for their benefit (e.g. paying for university tuition). In….

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Family Conflict

To Remove or Not to Remove… That is the Question (with apologies to the bard)

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Estates tell a million stories and the case of Ford v Mazman, 2019 ONSC 542, is just one of them. Mary died on April 3, 2017. Mary’s 2004 Will named her two nieces, Laura and Carleen, as sole beneficiaries. Mary appointed her close friend, Seta, as her estate trustee/executor. Laura had travelled to Ontario from BC to spend two weeks with Mary while she was in hospital. Shortly after Laura….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Executors, Family Conflict, Wills

The New Dope- For Seniors and It’s Legal

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Psst, what do you know about….. Mary Jane, Jay, Doobie, Weed, Pot, Grass, Dope, Ganja,Herb, Aunt Mary, Skunk, Boom, Roach…… about cannabis? Despite many in the population having used (medical) marijuana for a number of years to soothe a variety of conditions from migraines to anxiety to cancer, recently legal cannabis usage has brought about significant changes in both attitude and access. When marijuana became legal in Canada in October….

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Uncategorized

Seriously Delinquent: The IRS Can Have Your Passport Seized for Not Paying Taxes

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Guest written by Demetre Vasilounis, Student-at-Law For those with assets in, or some other connection to, the United States, it is important to take note of the fact that the country’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has gained one more tool to enforce tax liabilities on taxpayers. That tool is the power to revoke, limit or deny the issuance of a U.S. passport. U.S. Congress first enacted this controversial power on….

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Uncategorized

Chaos caused by Gifting

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This Blog was written by: Alicia Godin, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust “A jealous son sues his desirous and spoiled younger brother and his beleaguered and over-his-head uncle about the spoils of the estate of his late mother.” Working in the area of estate planning and estate administration offers a glimpse into the range of family dynamics and human behaviour. As an estate planner, much of my time spent with….

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Estate Litigation

Rest assured, a will is not a trust

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The past few months have been quite dramatic for estate lawyers; both on the drafting and litigation end.  As many of our readers know, Justice Dunphy stirred the pot in the estate world with his decision in Milne Estate (Re).  To recap, in the Milne decision, a husband and wife died on the same day.  They each left mirror primary and secondary wills.  Each of the primary and secondary wills….

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Trusts, Wills
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