All About Estates

Tag: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Total 13 Posts

“I’ve signed my Will…now what?”

You’ve met with your client for a final signing meeting. They can breathe a sigh of relief – their Will (or Wills) and Powers of Attorney are done! I have bad news – the process isn’t quite done yet. Of course, you will prepare a reporting letter,  send your final…

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How to Provide for Your Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons After Your Death: Part III

This is a three-part blog series that seeks to explore the manner in which one can conduct estate planning with respect to their copy of the popular 2020 Nintendo Switch video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Part I discussed the importance of this topic and described the applicability of a…

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How to Provide for Your Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons After Your Death: Part II

This is a three-part blog series that seeks to explore the manner in which one can conduct estate planning with respect to their copy of the popular 2020 Nintendo Switch video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Part I discussed the importance of this topic and described the applicability of a…

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One Short Year Ago!

Today’s blog is being brought to you by guest blogger, Tracy Parkinson, law clerk in the Private Client Services group of Fasken LLP. Thinking now back to what life was like a year ago, I’d say that we were living “footloose and fancy free” although it might not have felt…

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Joint Retainers and Estate Planning

Lawyers in Ontario are regulated by the Law Society of Ontario, and the Rules of Professional Conduct set out the professional and ethical obligations to which lawyers must adhere. One of the duties relates to avoiding conflicts of interest, except in certain circumstances. Rule 3.4-5 of the Law Society of Ontario Rules of Professional Conduct sets out the rule for joint retainers and provides as follows

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The Jeffrey Epstein “Plot” Thickens…Last Will and Testament Signed 2 Days Prior to Death!

Jeffrey Epstein (“Epstein”) signed a will just 2 days before he was found dead in his jail cell, raising new queries about his final days inside the Manhattan Correctional Centre, where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. This new development adds to what is likely…

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Charitable Remainder Trusts[1]

A charitable remainder trust is an underutilized philanthropic tool where a charity is given a future monetary benefit, while the donor receives immediate tax relief in respect of the charitable contribution. Typically, a donor irrevocably contributes property to a trust for the lifetime of a beneficiary, with a charity being…

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Income Splitting Loans and what you should know (and do) prior to April 1, 2018

Under the Income Tax Act R.S.C., 1985, c. 1 (5th Supp.), there are certain income-splitting arrangements that are available when a loan is made from an individual to his/her lower income spouse/common-law partner and when a loan is made to a discretionary family trust, the beneficiaries of which include minor children….

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The Senate Strikes Back?

The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the federal government’s reforms to the taxation of private companies was released on December 13, 2017. On that date, the Minister of Finance released the draft legislation and explanatory notes for the revised version of the “income sprinkling” or “TOSI” (tax on…

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Pre-Conception Parentage Agreements

Over my past several blogs I have looked at the new rules for determining parentage introduced in the All Families Are Equal Act (Parentage and Related Registrations Statute Law Amendment), 2016, S.O. 2016, c. 23 (“Act”), since it is important for estate planners to understand and appreciate the variety of…

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