Estate Planning

Total 1074 Posts

RRSPs Aren’t the Villain – But Misunderstanding Them Is

Scotiatrust

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

Estate Donations of Art

[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

Young, Married, and Prepared: A First Experience with Wills and POAs

As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, I am sharing a guest post written by my son. Earlier this year, he and his partner celebrated a beautiful wedding surrounded by family and friends. Like many life milestones, it prompted some important conversations about their future together, including what would happen if something unexpected occurred. In this post, he shares his experience with estate planning as a newlywed, and the process of….

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Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Spouse, Wills

Spousal Trusts Without the Trust Issues: Picking the Right Trustee – A Primer and Reminder

Brianna Fable-Watson, Articling Student, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP When planning your estate, creating a spousal trust is an effective way to ensure that your spouse is financially supported while also protecting the inheritance for your children or other beneficiaries. In a typical spousal trust, your surviving spouse receives the income produced from your assets during their lifetime, while the capital is (potentially) preserved for the next generation after they pass…..

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Spouse, Trustee, Trustee Disputes

The Year of the Audit and the Introduction of “Prompted” Disclosures

This blog has been written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto 2025 is flying by.  We are now in its final quarter.  Looking back at the year, I can think of one consistent theme in my discussions with other tax professionals: Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) audits and reviews.  Industry professionals have remarked—and quite rightly, perhaps—that we are dealing with more audits, reviews and reassessments issued by….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, Tax Issues
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