Business Succession Planning

Total 59 Posts

Will Planning for Beneficiaries

In what might be one of the last pipeline transactions my office will advise on (depending on the outcome of the Government of Canada tax proposals), I ran into an unfortunate situation which served to highlight a fundamental aspect of estate planning: Planning for your beneficiaries. Recently, I reached out to the beneficiaries of the estate I am working on to determine their personal tax positions for this current year…..

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Business Succession Planning, Disability, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Tax Issues, Trusts, Uncategorized, Wills

For Whom the Bells Toll: It Tolls for Family Trusts?

As we continue to absorb the draft legislation (together with explanatory notes and consultation paper) introduced by the Department of Finance to overhaul the system of taxation for private companies, some things have are becoming clear. If essentially enacted as currently drafted, the legislation will likely spell the end of family trusts for tax planning arrangements, particularly in the private company setting. Traditionally, for tax planning purposes, family trusts are….

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, In the News, Investments, Property, Small Business, Succession Planning, Tax Issues, Trusts, Uncategorized, Wills

The Principal Residence Exemption: Can you Divide and Conquer?

Recently, the Canada Revenue Agency (‘CRA”) was asked for its opinion on a fact situation with implications on the availability of the principal residence exemption for tax purposes, that I think also has applicability to estate planning in general and to some of the issues one can encounter when trying to divide interests in a property for estate planning purposes in particular. The CRA was provided with the following scenario…..

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, In the News, Investments, Property, Real Estate, Small Business, Tax Issues, Trusts, Uncategorized

JOINT TENANCY AND PROBATE AVOIDANCE – A QUICK REVISIT

When developing estate plans for clients with property of a capital nature (real estate, marketable securities being a couple of examples), one of the questions I get asked more often than not is: How can I avoid probate? Can I just put someone else’s name on a document so it transfers to that person when I pass away? Are there any implications? Technically speaking, “putting someone else’s name on a….

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, In the News, Interest, Investments, Joint Tenancy, Probate Tax, Property, Real Estate, Resulting Trust, Tax Issues, Trusts, Uncategorized, Wills

Post Mortem Pipeline Planning – Business Continuity

Recently, a fellow blogger wrote about the benefit of post-mortem pipeline transactions to avoid double tax on disposition of certain assets. Briefly, a pipeline transaction is a form of transaction whereby the assets of a corporation are distributed to shareholders utilizing the high adjusted cost base resulting from the capital gains realized on death, rather than as a distribution in the form of a dividend. In this sense, the use….

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Investments, Property, Real Estate, Succession Planning, Tax Issues

Determining the CAPITAL DIVIDEND ACCOUNT BALANCE: no longer a shot in the dark?

The capital dividend account (“CDA”) is a tax free surplus account within a private corporation which gives shareholders designated capital dividends, tax-free. The CDA typically contains the non-taxable portion of the company’s capital gains net of capital losses, capital gains received by other companies, proceeds of life insurance on death and other capital like distributions. The CDA account is often a central feature of tax planning for individuals with private….

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, In the News, Investments, Small Business, Succession Planning, Tax Issues, Trusts
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