Toronto Ontario Estate Law Blog

As clients are becoming more and more mobile, it is common to have assets all over the world which leads to multi-jurisdictional estate administration on the mobile client’s death or incapacity. There are international treaties that try to make things easier and connect all these jurisdictions. One of these international

In our previous blog, “New Trust Reporting and Disclosure Rules,” we wrote about the new Canadian trust reporting and disclosure rules which were originally to come into effect in 2021. Updated draft legislation was released by the Department of Finance on August 9, 2022, and the legislation is now expected

You’ve gone through the process of executing your Will(s), Continuing Power of Attorney for Property and Power of Attorney for Personal Care… now what? This blog looks at some of the considerations after you have signed your key estate planning documents. Storage One of the key considerations is where to

It is difficult to pick up a magazine or newspaper these days without reading an article or two which touches on the topic of wealth and income inequality and the growing concern on how best to address it. The pandemic, raging inflation and enormous government deficits have only put more

In the world of estate planning, a genie is not the only one who could potentially grant you a wish: your trustee may also be able to do this with the help of a letter of wishes. A letter of wishes is a non-binding document that sets out suggestions to

It is trite, but perhaps worth repeating that for many people, one of their primary estate planning goals is to take care of their spouse after their death. This is particularly the case if most of the couple’s assets are held by one spouse or where the spouses are in

Many individuals take advantage of registered savings plans in Canada. The most commonly known plans are Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs). There are certain rules and restrictions to be aware of for Canadians who have such plans and become non-residents for tax purposes. In a

Increasingly, people and their assets have connections to several jurisdictions, rather than just one as in times past. Over the course of a lifetime, many of us will leave a trail behind us of real estate, bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement savings plans and pensions, as well as beneficiaries and

Jointly held assets are a popular estate planning tool because of how simple they appear. Adding a child on title to the house seems like a quick way to avoid paying probate taxes, or adding them as a joint owner on a bank account could be a convenient way to

Overused quote alert! “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The above statement by Benjamin Franklin in a letter to Jean-Baptiste LeRoy in 1789 is often abbreviated, but the