Estate Planning

Total 1067 Posts

Pay Your Taxes, or Your Widow(er) Might Have To

This blog has been written by Maddi Thomas, Associate at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Beneficiary designations are commonly used by individuals to allow registered retirement savings plans (“RRSP”) and other savings accounts to “pass outside of the estate”, i.e., be distributed or transferred outright to a surviving co-owner; or, in the case of registered plans, to a designated beneficiary on the death of an individual, thereby bypassing the probate process…..

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Estate Planning, Spouse, Tax Issues, Wills

Donating Internationally

Canadian donors who wish to support foreign charities and international charitable initiatives have historically had limited options.  While there are about 3,000 registered charities with international activities and another 700 foreign universities with qualified donee status, there are coverage gaps.  It’s a big world with lots of needs. Starting in 2022, new rules were introduced that enable Canadian charities to make grants to non-qualified donees.  To translate, these are organizations….

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Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Firearms, Wills, Estates, and the impact of Bill C-21

Bill C-21- An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms)   This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP Estates practitioners should be aware that Bill C-21, the controversial legislation which imposes strict gun control provisions Canada-wide, received Royal Assent and became law on December 15, 2023.  Bill C-21 amends several federal statutes, including, inter alia, the Criminal Code of….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Uncategorized, Wills

Equalizing an Estate Where One of More Children are U.S. Persons and Planning Strategies Where There Are U.S. Beneficiaries; Part I

In circumstances where clients, who are Canadian residents, intend to equalize their estates amongst their children (“Equalization Intention”) where one or more of such children are “U.S. Persons” (a “U.S. Child”), estate planners need to consider whether that is possible and if so, how (“whether” and “how”, the “Questions”).  This is Part I of a three-Part blog series discussing a few considerations that tax and estate advisors may wish to….

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Estate Planning, Tax Issues, U.S. Citizen, United States, US Taxes, Wills

Estate Planning and the Changes to the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR)

Estate advisors looking at tax minimization and corporate restructuring of their clients’ affairs as part of their estate and wealth planning will now need to consider the new changes to the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR). Bill C-59 was introduced in Parliament on November 30th, 2023, and a section of the Bill amends section 245 of the Income Tax Act (the Act) and the GAAR provisions found in subsection 245 of the Act…..

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Estate Planning, Succession Planning, Tax Issues

Life is Simple. People are Complicated, including by Culture.

This blog has been written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto I seem to keep bumping into quotes that remind me that life is simple, but people are complicated.  There are perhaps many ingredients to this complexity.  Culture is one of them. Last week, I presented at a conference as part of a panel on cross-cultural considerations in estate planning.  The conference was outside of Canada; nevertheless,….

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Business Succession Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Issues
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