Legal advice is a must for testators with complex family dynamics.  Second (or third) marriages, stepfamilies and common-law relationships are no longer the novelty they once were in Canada.  And…

When is a gift not a gift? When you can’t prove it’s what the giver intended.  Disputed gifts delivered during the lifetime of the deceased are among the most common…

A lost will is usually as good as no will at all. When the original version of a will can not be found after the testator’s death, the courts typically…

One of the more common reasons people tell me they don’t want a will is that it’s a “waste of money."  But a recent ruling delivers a powerful counter-argument, demonstrating…

Sharing property with your children has its pros and cons.  On the one hand, there are very good estate planning reasons for owning property jointly with a beneficiary, since it…

It’s time to close the POA gap.  That’s the name I give to the persistently lagging uptake levels for powers of attorney compared with wills.  Surveys of Canadians consistently find…

If there’s anything worse than a do-it-yourself will, it’s one written in a rush. I understand the money-saving draw of will kits – a longtime staple at stationers across the…

Ontario estates law may have caught up with common sense on the property rights of separated spouses after a landmark amendment finally took full effect.  Section 17 of the Succession…

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, Canadians are finding it easier than ever to procrastinate on making a will.   Parents and their children struggling with higher rents and rising inflation understandably…

Death binders are in style in estate planning and this is one trend I can definitely get behind.  The idea is for the binder to serve as a kind of…