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…

Testators should take care when “wishing” for certain outcomes in their will. As the sister of a deceased Thunder Bay man recently discovered, not every wish, hope, desire or other…

Bare trusts are getting a reporting reprieve.  Beneficiaries of this common form of trust (and their lawyers) will be breathing a sigh of relief after the Canada Revenue Agency announced…

Independence is a virtue when it comes to administering an estate.  Considering the heavy weight of responsibility that comes with the job of executor, it’s understandable that testators reach out…

Users of a popular gaming platform are getting an introduction to the complex world of estates law and digital assets after discovering that they may not be able to pass…

Performing a title search on your property as part of your estate plan could save your heirs both money and hassle.  Title searches are more commonly performed as part of…

The U.K. has ended its experiment with virtual witnessing after finding it did nothing to halt the country’s growing tide of will challenges.  According to the Daily Telegraph, remote witnessing…

A new law could bring some much-needed clarity to the rights of substitute decision makers when it comes to an incapable person’s beneficiary designations on things like RRSPs, life insurance…