In our previous blog, "Getting Ready for the New Trust Reporting and Disclosure Rules", we wrote about the new Canadian trust reporting and disclosure rules coming into effect in 2021.

If you own a cottage or vacation home, your personal, emotional and financial commitment to it is often very significant.

There are a variety of non-tax and tax reasons to support charities. When deciding which charities to benefit, many Canadians have philanthropic objectives that extend beyond the border.

When we consider undertaking the estate planning process, the preparation of a Will to direct and manage the transfer of assets between a person and their beneficiaries is often the primary focus.

This Advisory provides an overview of the basics of the administration of an estate, which for many is often something of a mystery.

A person can only have one original will. In order for a will to be probated in Ontario, the original will must be filed with the Court.

On May 4, 2018, we celebrate our firm's 20th anniversary. I thought it would be fitting as well as helpful to reflect on one of the most challenging questions in family succession: whether children should be treated equally.

In order to address this, parents should consider a "letter of wishes" to the guardians of their children.

But Canadians cannot be complacent. Lurking beneath the surface is a variety of undercurrents that spell potential turbulence and trouble ahead.

If you have assets, prospective beneficiaries, or other connections to foreign countries, you have cross-border or multijurisdictional considerations in your estate planning or administration.

If you own a cottage or vacation home, your personal, emotional and financial commitment to it is often very significant.

Much has been written in recent years about the role of the "trusted advisor".

Wills can take many forms, for example, Cecil George Harris's historic will, etched onto a panel of farm machinery under which he was trapped and later succumbed to injury, or the Court of Appeal for Ontario's 2022...

A power of appointment is a valuable estate planning tool, which, broadly speaking, is a power that is frequently conferred on a person, including an executor, and the trustee and/or beneficiary of a testamentary or inter vivos trust, ...

Major legislative changes in estate law are rare. However, we appear to be on the cusp of just such a change in Ontario.

The U.S. Congress was very busy throughout the Fall of 2021, and it was very challenging for advisors and their clients to keep up with a number of proposals dealing with trusts...

One issue which people planning their estates frequently struggle with is who to appoint as their executor. The choice for this important role deserves serious consideration

Some provinces and territories provide a spouse with a "preferential share" prior to dividing the rest of the estate between the spouse and children.

Many people think that they can't appoint a family member (often their child residing in the U.S.) or friend who is a U.S.

Owning property in another jurisdiction often means more complexity, and those who do should have a co-ordinated and comprehensive estate plan to deal with their multijurisdictional lives in order to avoid often hidden pitfalls.