One of the most surprising developments in estate law over the last number of years has been increasing uncertainty over designated beneficiary assets – life insurance, RRSPs, RRIFs, and TFSAs…

Dealing with a parent’s dementia diagnosis can be overwhelming. However, confronting potential legal challenges head-on before the disease progresses can be one of the best ways to protect your parent’s…

Enns v Gordon Estate, 2018 BCSC 705 In my Will, I can leave my belongings to anyone I choose, right? That idea comes from the concept of “testamentary autonomy” and…

Alter Ego vs Joint Spousal Trust Planning What is an Alter Ego Trust? An Alter Ego Trust is a type of trust allowed under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the

When does a promise become more than a promise? In the recent case of Bergler v Odenthal (“Bergler“), the BC Supreme Court had the chance to revisit the concept of…

Life is complicated, and especially so when losing loved ones. By preparing this broad checklist, we hope to provide you with some certainty and guidance through difficult times. We know…

While it is an honour to be selected as an Executor; many would agree that it is also a burden. From our work assisting Executors, we have identified a number…

Life Insurance Trusts During a previous bulletin, we discussed the downsides to naming a child (under age 19) as a direct beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Most significantly, the…

Every so often we encounter a client (the “Insured”) who has designated their young children (or child) as the direct beneficiaries of their life insurance policy (the “Policy”). Most commonly…

The term “digital asset” can be hard to define, and is forever expanding. Some examples come in the form of email accounts (i.e. Yahoo Mail, Google Mail, and Microsoft Office…

The New Million Dollar Question It’s a question we’re often asked when meeting new people. It’s a question that maybe used to be easy to answer – but, with the…

When considering their estate planning, parents often want to support their children financially but are not sure of the best way to do so. One option of sharing wealth is…

Estate Planning When You Own Mexican Property When clients have property in Mexico, many advisors want to encourage their clients to think about a Will for that property. Common questions…

Tax Cautions for Assets Passing Outside of the Estate As the saying goes, there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. When it comes to estate planning, the primary…

The family cabin is a place to relax and get away from our busy and stressful lives. As the baby boomer generation ages, more and more parents are going to…

Many people use joint ownership as a simple method of estate planning. While joint ownership is appropriate in some circumstances, it is a blunt tool that can cause greater problems…

These are your role and responsibilities. Your friend or loved-one (the “donor”) has bestowed upon you (the “attorney”) one of the most esteemed badges of trust. They have appointed you…

ALERT – new development – as it turns out, a beneficiary designation is not a “sure thing” – even a beneficiary designation can be challenged. We recently wrote about disputes…

A startling number of us will experience dementia or other neurodegenerative disorders, and most of us will need at least some help with our finances and personal/health matters as we…

The new year is upon us, and for many, that means a time for resolutions. If finally getting around to making a Will is one of those resolutions, you’re certainly…

We are all aware that owning assets outside of Canada has its own set of challenges. Are you aware that it might affect your estate after you die, and that…

Pre-planning is something we enjoy doing when it comes to fun activities like a weekend at the lake. However when it comes to planning for death or incapacity, we tend…