Estate Administration

Total 502 Posts

The Art Collector and the Tax Deal

[caption id="attachment_12949" align="aligncenter" width="300"] [/caption] A 1953 caricature of Douglas M. Duncan by Alan Reeve. Note the envelopes in his pocket at the lower right.   Douglas Duncan was a pioneering Canadian art dealer and ambitiously hapless businessman.   Known as the dealer and artistic executor of artist David B. Milne, he was legendary for his unopened mail, uncashed cheques and, yes, of course, failure to write a will.  Prior to….

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Estate Administration, Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Valuators – 2018 Might be a Very Good Year

I mentioned in my last blog that the government is proposing measures to limit the application of the lifetime capital gains exemption (“LCGE”) to owners of eligible small business corporations, based on age and “reasonableness”. Subject to certain exceptions, the proposals ensure that property held by a trust will no longer be eligible for the LCGE. Under the current proposals, there are transition rules which will permit a one-time multiplication….

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

My Best Interests, and Yours Too?

The recent case of Tarantino v. Galvano, 2017 ONSC 3535, raises a variety of issues familiar to estate litigators – powers of attorney, capacity, quantum meruit claims, the duty to account and the rules surrounding the removal of an estate’s executor. In this case the deceased, Rosa Filippo Galvano (“Rosa”) had two daughters, Nellie Galvano (“Nellie”) and Giuseppina Bucci (“Giuseppina”), who died in 2007. Giuseppina had two daughters, Rosa Pignatelli and….

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Attorney Compensation, Capacity Law, Caregiving, Compensation, Contracts, Elder Care, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, Family Conflict, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, POA Compensation, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Wills

Estate Planning – Can You Just Give Some of it Away?

A recent article in the press reminded me of a trend in estate planning which appears to be taking more favor in recent times. It is not very complicated, can lead to considerable tax savings and other benefits while you are with the living. I am referring to the gifting of cash or assets during your lifetime. Many people who consult me and other members of my practice are often….

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Charitable Giving, Estate Administration, Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Investments, Probate Tax, Tax Issues, Uncategorized

“Survivor Payment” from a TFSA to a Spouse who was not the Designated Beneficiary

In Technical Interpretation 2016-0679751E5 the CRA considered whether a survivor payment could be made out of deceased’s TFSA to the deceased’s spouse, in circumstances where the spouse was not the designated beneficiary of the TFSA. In this case, the executor wished to satisfy a legacy to the deceased’s spouse out of the property of the deceased’s TFSA. The estate, and not the spouse, was the beneficiary of the TFSA. A….

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Estate Administration, Tax Issues

Exporting Canadian Art

  [caption id="attachment_5287" align="aligncenter" width="527"] Lawren Harris, 1926. Sold in November 2016 for $11.2 million.[/caption] Like most countries, Canada has a cultural property regime designed to protect art and objects of cultural significance.  Inspired by UNESCO Convention (1970), cultural property must get clearance from the Canadian Cultural Property Export and Review Board (CCPERB) before it leaves the country.  Outdated elements of this important system are creating challenges for Canadian art….

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Estate Administration, Uncategorized
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