Estate Planning

Total 1066 Posts

Finality Matters: Smith v. Bechtel in the Evolving Jurisprudence on Substantial Compliance

This blog was co-authored by Latoya Brown, Associate and Ciaran Sheahan, Student-at-Law at Fasken LLP Ontario courts have, in recent years, considered a growing number of cases addressing the scope of their curative jurisdiction under s. 21.1 of the Succession Law Reform Act (the “SLRA”), following the amendment empowering them to do so. These decisions continue to refine the doctrine of substantial compliance and to provide clarity on what constitutes….

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Charitable Giving, Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Succession Planning, Wills

Estate Freeze & U.S. Citizens

Scotiatrust

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 with a number of complex and sometimes punitive U.S. tax consequences when the freezor is a U.S. citizen. This article….

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Business Succession Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Issues, U.S. Citizen, United States, US Taxes

Living Across Borders: Estate Planning Lessons from a Destination Wedding

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 brought together friends and family from across the globe, many of whom, like the bride, had meaningful connections to Canada….

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Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Wills

A Novel Approach to Locating Missing Heirs

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 distribute the estate to those beneficiaries who are easy to find, or assume that missing beneficiaries do not exist. While….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Trustee

Dust Off The Shareholders’ Agreement

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 shareholders’ agreement is signed, it is often filed in the corporate minute book and never reviewed by the signatories. There….

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Business Succession Planning, Contracts, Estate Planning, Succession Planning

Estate Planning Considerations for Professional Athletes: Protecting Wealth Beyond the Game

Scotiatrust

Yash Chavda, Articling Student, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP A career in professional sports can be incredibly lucrative, but those earnings are typically concentrated into a short window, with most athletes reaching their peak earning years in their twenties and early thirties. During this period, athletes may sign major contracts, secure sponsorships, and build large personal brands. At the same time, they must navigate uncertainty, frequent relocation, and shifting financial circumstances…..

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Estate Planning, Wills
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