One of my favorite routines on my annual summer vacation is to read the local news. Regular readers of this Blog may not be surprised that the story which caught my eye this summer was about an Estate. Richard M. Grant, a life-long farmer, known as the “The Corn King”…
This is my 8th annual year end investment review for Trusts. As I have indicated in the past, Trustees are accountable for a prudent investment policy. This includes a review of the performance of the investments in the Trust. For Trusts that hold a portfolio of marketable securities, a fundamental…
In my Blog last week I talked about how much I like some of the American traditions like Thanksgiving. What could be more American than a beloved Norman Rockwell painting. Earlier this month the Massachusetts Court of Appeal blocked the auction of 2 Norman Rockwell paintings, which had a combined…
I love the traditions of the American Thanksgiving Day holiday – spending time with family and friends, enjoying a great food and watching football. In the lead-up to Thanksgiving, the American papers are filled with all kinds of tips on how to prepare for and enjoy the big day. Whether…
Earlier this week I attended the 19th annual National Conference of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (“STEP”). I must congratulate Michael Dodick, Janis Armstrong and their whole team for putting on another very successful conference. The success of the conference is easily measurable, there were 720 attendees, making…
RBC recently released their Wealth Transfer Report 2017. Some of results confirm what we have read for years about the percentage of people who have proper Wealth Transfer Plans in place. What caught my eye, were the survey results about the inheritor experience and educating the next generation. By way…
As people live longer their cash requirements can increase exponentially. My Blog colleague, Audrey Miller, recently told me that, in Ontario, publically funded Nursing home expenses for a private room start at $30,000 per year and private retirement residences are much more expensive. There are other potential cash requirements such as the expense of personal care…
We received a lot of feedback on our Blog last week written by my colleague, Holly Allardyce, about locating estate assets. Readers shared some interesting stories from their experiences as a professional executor about where they have found cash and other assets that their deceased clients hid while they were…
This is my 7th annual year end investment review for Trusts. As I have indicated in the past, Trustees are accountable for a prudent investment policy. This includes a review of the performance of the investments in the Trust. For Trusts that hold a portfolio of marketable securities, a fundamental…
No matter who wins the election, any changes to the U.S. Estate tax system won’t likely happen right away but one thing is certain, this election has being very taxing on everyone.