All About Estates

Scotiatrust

Total 157 Posts Website

Activating Powers of Attorney for Property in Ontario.

I happened to be on my google machine earlier today, doing a quick search of “activation of powers of attorney”. I found a rather upsetting website belonging to a member of the bar suggesting that a power of attorney ought to be activated “if the grantor dies”, and so here…

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Canadian State Funerals, a deep dive

My dog and I have a habit of visiting our neighbours at least once a week. After Final Jeopardy, maybe on a Tuesday or Wednesday, I ask George if she wants to go visiting, and my little cockapoo loses her little dog mind, races to the door, and charges down…

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Summary Judgment in Estate Litigation, and the Role of a Financial Advisor as a Witness

It is widely known by estate litigation lawyers that the courts are clogged with disputes, often leading to lengthy delays in the obtaining hearing or trial dates.  Summary judgment is one way that the courts can decide cases efficiently.  To achieve a just result, a lengthy trial with oral testimony…

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How to talk about death and dying: morbid curiosity welcome

I may be ghoulish, but I think not. I am quite interested in talking about death and dying. I’m the daughter of a former hospice nurse, a former student of a high school teacher who spent an entire term teaching about death and dying as part of a world religions…

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Got Tenants? Tenants in Estates

Alicia Mossington, Estate and Trust Consultant Executors have many responsibilities: paying debts; taxes; testamentary expenses; and managing estate assets. Different assets come with different responsibilities and rules and some assets – like rental properties – have unique complexities to manage. It is common for estates to include rental properties especially…

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The Apostille Convention – working with public documents abroad

The joy of working with clients with multi-jurisdictional assets and families can be dampened by the frustrations triggered by working with authorities in those jurisdictions for the timely administration of estates. Having proper authentication of key estate administration documents – birth and death certificates, divorce judgments, probate certificates come to…

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When a Financial Plan meets an Estate Plan

Our lives were upended a few years ago by the pandemic, and things since then have been anything but typical.  From elevated inflation to skyrocketing interest rates, our expectations for the future and our perceptions of what is normal have been challenged.  The word “unprecedented” may be overused, but it…

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It’s About Time: When to Review Your Will and Estate Plan

It’s About Time: When to Review Your Will and Estate Plan Living our daily lives, we are not constantly thinking about our wills and our estate plans. There are usually certain events which bring these subjects top of mind. There are certain events or times in our lives that should…

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I want to disinherit my family

As the holiday season draws to a close, and the cheese supply in my fridge appears to be finally exhausted, I find myself wondering who among us (or among our clients) – has had that sort of holiday season that has them ready to update their will and undo the…

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A few considerations for estate planning for clients with Quebec-based assets living elsewhere in Canada.

One of the joys of estate planning in Canada is that the law varies from province to province. Most of the country follows common law and we in Quebec follow the civil code. For those of you working outside of Quebec, you may encounter clients with assets in Quebec. With…

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