Estate Planning – Page 4 – All About Estates

Estate Planning Horror Stories: Tales from the Legal Crypt

Fasken • October 31, 2025 • 0 Comments

Today’s blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Halloween is all about chills and thrills, but nothing sends a shiver down my spine quite like a botched estate plan. These stories aren’t just for a fright; they’re a reminder that a little planning now can save your family from a real nightmare later. The Phantom Beneficiary Harold thought he had his estate sorted out by….

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Estate Planning, Executors, Wills

Valuing Digital Assets: Lessons from the Counter Strike Market Crash

Scotiatrust • October 30, 2025 • 1 Comment

This blog post was written by: Dave Madan, Senior Manager, Scotiatrust Digital assets have become an increasingly common topic in estate planning. What once seemed like a niche hobby has turned into a meaningful part of some clients’ financial picture. From cryptocurrency to NFTs and even online gaming inventories, these assets can hold real world value, sometimes in the millions. Yet recent events in the gaming world have shown just….

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Estate Planning, valuation

Plan Today, Protect Tomorrow: Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Make or Update Your Will

Jennifer Campbell • October 24, 2025 • 0 Comments

November is Make a Will Month, an annual initiative designed to raise awareness about the importance of having a Will. A Will is one of the most critical legal documents you can have, as it ensures that your wishes are respected and your loved ones are provided for after your passing. Despite its significance, many Canadians delay creating a Will, often due to misconceptions about its necessity, the belief that….

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Estate Planning, Succession Planning, Wills

RRSPs Aren’t the Villain – But Misunderstanding Them Is

Scotiatrust • October 23, 2025 • 3 Comments

This blog post was written by: Melissa Plunkett, Director, Scotiatrust On Friday, September 26, 2025, when CTV news published their story “Daughter hit with $660,000 tax bill when both parents died in the same year”, I was inundated with texts and DMs from friends and family asking me if this could really happen to a middle-class family. Did the CRA assess too much tax? Was an RRSP really all taxable at….

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Estate Planning, Tax Issues

Does the Presumption of Advancement Apply to Joint Bank Accounts with a Common-Law Spouse?

Tamar Silverbrook • October 17, 2025 • 1 Comment

The addition of a common-law partner as a joint owner of a bank account with a right of survivorship may give rise to initial uncertainty as to whether the arrangement constitutes a gift. While such a designation may appear to be a gratuitous transfer, the presumption of advancement does not apply to a common law spouse added onto a joint account, even if there is a right of survivorship. If….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Spouse, Wills

Estate Donations of Art

Malcolm Burrows • October 16, 2025 • 0 Comments

[caption id="attachment_21746" align="aligncenter" width="666"] Decisions, Decisions, Charles Pachter (Courtesy of Heffel Auctions)[/caption] Fine art is an asset class of growing importance among the affluent and is beginning to be a significant part of select estate plans. A recent estimate pegged the international art market at US$57.5 billion in 2024 (a 12% decline from 2023) and Canada has seen some record prices at auction. Many collectors are contemplating donating their art….

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Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving