Renting property to family can get awkward quickly, but things could get even messier for your heirs unless you’ve documented the arrangement. Pick an estate disputes at random from the…
Drafting a will is just the first step towards a successful estate plan. In order for your wishes to actually be carried out after your passing, you need to check…
Testators should know the risks before using joint ownership as an estate planning tool. There are certainly good reasons for owning property jointly with a beneficiary – top among them its…
Normally when I write about a multi-million-dollar estate, it’s in the context of an ugly fight between the beneficiaries of a wealthy person that has made the news or ended…
Lawyers need to practice what they preach and implement a succession plan that kicks in when they are no longer willing or able to continue in the profession. Sole and…
Trusts are getting more transparent. Since 2018, the Federal government has been planning to chip away at the privacy of a wide variety of trust types. Legislation originally slated to…
Canada’s common-law couple boom must be matched by a wave of new estate plans if spouses want to be protected when their partners die. Over the last few decades, common-law…
Applying for probate in Ontario has just become a little simpler, but it’s still not an attractive prospect for estate trustees. The provincial government recently announced changes to the Rules…
In my many years of estates law practice, I’ve seen families fall apart over inheritances large and small.But every now and then, an ugly estate fight breaks out over items…
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…
