Just because a court can recognize a note written on a fast food restaurant napkin as a valid will doesn’t mean you should make it your estate plan. According to a recent ruling from Saskatchewan, Philip Langanjotted down his wishes at a Yorkton McDonald’s outlet several months before his…
A national campaign wants to take charitable giving via a will mainstream. Will Power, which is led by the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and supported by at least 500…
Contemplating your own death is hard enough for most people, but spouses drafting wills should consider the possibility they will die together. The chances of an accident or disaster that…
B.C. is taking a step into the unknown with new legislation that allows testators to draft and execute fully electronic wills. Bill 21, which took effect in December, makes the…
It’s always great to have options, and recent developments have given our clients fresh choices when it comes to how they draw up their estate plans. One of the better…
Testators with complex or contentious estates should think about appointing a corporateexecutor. Trust companies are certainly a more expensive option: you can expect them to charge a fee ofas much…
Testators need to get proactive about their digital legacies as tech companies update their rules for what can and can’t be done with accounts after a user’s death. Professional networking…
Unexpected beneficiaries are a recipe for estate litigation, as the simmering dispute over a publishing magnate’s $1-billion estate shows. Following his death this summer, it was revealed that Richard Robinson,…
Getting legal advice is more important than ever for testatorsafter Ontario moved a step closer to recognizing unconventional wills. The Ford administration’s recently passed Bill 245, the Accelerating Access to Justice Act, moves the province from…
Testators can do their bit to ensure executors don’t have to post an administration bond. Ontario’s Estates Act requires some foreign-based estate trustees to obtain a bond worth twice as…
