All About Estates

Month: February 2019

Total 16 Posts

Difficult Conversations: With Our Children

All of the writers (and presumably the readers as well) know the importance of having their ‘important paper’ work completed. For me, most importantly this means completing Powers of Attorney for both Property and Personal care as well as Advanced Care Directives. For you, perhaps the ‘most importantly’ may be…

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A Cautionary Crypto-Tale

My fellow blogger Maureen Berry and colleague Demetre Vasilounis, Student-at-Law, recently blogged about a form of digital assets that has received limited treatment in Canadian estate law commentary, namely digital assets that continue to generate revenue after the death of the owner, such as the YouTube and Twitch “Partner” programs….

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Choosing an Appropriate Age for Young Beneficiaries to Inherit

This Blog was written by: Daniel Watts, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust   A very common issue that arises in estate planning, especially when the clients have young children, is deciding when an appropriate age is for the children to receive their inheritance. Prior to this age, the inheritance will…

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To Remove or Not to Remove… That is the Question (with apologies to the bard)

Estates tell a million stories and the case of Ford v Mazman, 2019 ONSC 542, is just one of them. Mary died on April 3, 2017. Mary’s 2004 Will named her two nieces, Laura and Carleen, as sole beneficiaries. Mary appointed her close friend, Seta, as her estate trustee/executor. Laura…

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The New Dope- For Seniors and It’s Legal

Psst, what do you know about….. Mary Jane, Jay, Doobie, Weed, Pot, Grass, Dope, Ganja,Herb, Aunt Mary, Skunk, Boom, Roach…… about cannabis? Despite many in the population having used (medical) marijuana for a number of years to soothe a variety of conditions from migraines to anxiety to cancer, recently legal…

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Seriously Delinquent: The IRS Can Have Your Passport Seized for Not Paying Taxes

Guest written by Demetre Vasilounis, Student-at-Law For those with assets in, or some other connection to, the United States, it is important to take note of the fact that the country’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has gained one more tool to enforce tax liabilities on taxpayers. That tool is the…

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