All About Estates

Month: January 2011

Total 21 Posts

The Demanding Charitable Beneficiary

A few years ago, I met a couple who had served as co-executors for an aunt’s estate. This aunt had left a large residual bequest to three well-know charities. Her executors were quite bitter about the way the charities had handled the bequests. The charities had the temerity to question…

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An Estate Trustee’s Imprisonment, Without Possibility of Parole

A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court sentences an estate trustee to a lengthy term of incarceraction, without the possibility of parole, for contempt of court.

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An estate planning tool for a disabled beneficiary

Qualifying for support under various government disability programs in the form of cash payments or benefits often means that a recipient must have income and assets below a certain level. Without careful planning an intended inheritance may unintentionally serve to cut off a beneficiary’s government support.

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Is a U.S. Estate Tax Return Due?

So you’ve taken on the role of executor of your dear friend, Sally’s estate. It just so happened that Sally owned a vacation property in the United States. You’ve come across a couple of blogs in the last few weeks that suggest her estate may owe some taxes to the IRS. You have no idea whether this is true and what you may need to do. You decide to keep reading these blogs to see if they’ll help you.

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Did I mention that January is Alzheimer’s “Do Not Forget” month?

Frequent memory loss that affects day-to-day function, Difficulty performing familiar tasks
Problems with language, making it difficult to be understood,Disorientation of time and place, including getting lost even in familiar places
Poor or decreased judgment, Problems with abstract thinking, Putting things in inappropriate places
Sudden changes in mood or behaviour . What Can This Be?

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Reviewing investment performance

The end of the calendar year is a good time for Trustees to review both the investment performance as well as investment objectives of the Trusts for which they are responsible.

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Applying Proportionality to an Award of Costs in Estate Litigation

The fine art of proportionality applied or hindsight run amuck? You decide.

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Terminal Return Deadlines

Normally, an individual’s personal tax return is due April 30 (or June 15 if the person or a cohabitating spouse has income from a business). Upon death, this does not change unless the date death is after October 31.

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So You Want to Buy a U.S. Vacation Property…

As the thermometer continues to hover around the zero degree mark, many of us who live north of the 49th parallel begin to think about heading south to take up residence in one of the many sunnier climes the United States has to offer.

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