Before recommending an estate freeze to a client, advisors should first ask them a simple question: Are you a U.S. citizen? By failing to ask this question, advisors may be overlooking significant cross-border tax implications. While an estate freeze can be an effective tool for succession planning, it can come…
This blog has been written by Pritika Deepak, Associate at Fasken LLP. Last week, I was in sunny Trinidad and Tobago celebrating the wedding of a close friend. We first met years ago when she came to Canada for undergraduate studies and later built a life in Toronto. The wedding…
The promise of venture philanthropy is seductive. It aspires to harness entrepreneurial energy for the public good – to meld business methods with generosity to give back and create change. That was the hope when I helped invent charitable stock options in 1999. Charitable Stock Options, or just Charitable Options,…
Today’s Post by Brianna Fable-Watson, Articling Student at Gowling WLG | Gowling WLG Ontario courts continue to emphasize that the authority granted to attorneys for personal care is legally constrained and subject to competing statutory rights, particularly in long-term care settings. The decision in Orr v Orr, 2025 ONSC 4986…
If you’ve scanned financial services sales materials recently, it seems longevity is a hot topic. How do you actually plan for longevity? As with most things, this is easier to talk about than do. In this article, let’s explore one aspect of lifestyle planning – mobility. A recent article on…
Much has been written on All About Estates about “missing” elements in an estate administration – missing assets, missing heirs, and even missing estate trustees. In the case of missing heirs, the executors have an obligation to take reasonable steps to locate the beneficiaries of the estate. Executors cannot simply…
A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision reinforced a simple but important rule: lawyers generally owe duties only to their clients – not to third parties who may be affected by their work. The case of Stingelin Estate v. Woods, 2026 ONCA 240 arose out of a family dispute over…
It is common to suggest shareholders enter into a shareholders’ agreement, where each shareholder assumes certain rights and obligations relating to the business of the corporation. The shareholders’ agreement typically includes provisions dealing with the management of the business and future transfers of shares upon death or other circumstances. Unfortunately, once the…
Days before the February 2022 Russian invasion in Ukraine, Darcy Brockbank (“Darcy” or the “Estate”, respectively) travelled to Kiev. On February 25, 2022, Darcy died unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was survived by his mother, Josephine Brockbank (“Josephine”), and two brothers: Joel Brockbank (“Joel”) and Stuart Brockbank (“Stuart”). On…
A colleague recently mentioned that he and his siblings were shocked when his mom suffered a stroke without warning. One minute, she was an active 70-year-old in good health, and the next, he and his siblings were suddenly responsible for her care and finances. His mother had signed Power of…