It’s not easy being an Estate Trustee and a beneficiary. However, an Estate Trustee must be ever mindful that she wears the executor “hat” first. In other words, the duties an Estate Trustee owes to the beneficiaries must come before the Estate Trustee’s own interests. Otherwise an Estate Trustee will…
Estate trustees are entitled to seek compensation for their work. Unless an exception applies, the court will exercise its discretion to determine the amount.
There is renewed discussion on whether Canada will become another jurisdiction where specific gift or estate taxes will be imposed on inheritances. There is speculation that the discussion will lead to something concrete as early as next week’s Federal Budget. In the meantime, there are situations where inheritances can come…
A lot has been written about how should choose an executor, and some of it in this blog place. A couple of years ago, fellow boggler Emily Hubling wrote eloquently about the risk and rewards of appointing a professional advisor as executor. I would like to revisit some of the…
Registered accounts are often set up as express trust accounts, with the bank acting as trustee and the account holder as beneficiary. In these cases, banks are subject to all the same fiduciary duties and responsibilities that apply to all trustees – meaning they cannot charge hidden fees.
The recent case of Novak v. McDougall, (2019 SKQB 261), confirms that when you have accepted an appointment to be trustee, you may not be able to have yourself removed from that appointment without a suitable replacement. The applicant in this case, a beneficiary of a “Henson” trust (basically defined…
With its sandy beaches, hiking trails, canoe routes, and wildlife, the Town of Wasaga Beach is a well-loved Ontario vacation destination. However, no town, however idyllic, is immune to lengthy property disputes, especially when the two people fighting are related to each other. Brother A and Brother B were at…
Occasionally, I (like many of fellow bloggers for sure) get asked – what is appropriate remuneration for an executor or executrix to administer an estate – often in circumstances where remuneration is not specified or even referred in the deceased’s will or otherwise. Bottom line, what are the guidelines and…
When asking a friend for a financial favour, people often fail to document their actions and decisions as thoroughly as they should – the trust people have in their friends frequently translates into a belief that they do not need to pay attention. Regardless of whether the trust was deserved,…
If you are like most individuals at this time of the year, you probably don’t give too much thought to your taxes and perhaps putting it off until the filing deadline for tax returns approaches being in the spring of each year for most. For those who are beneficiaries of…