Have you heard of the Task force on Financial Literacy? (www.financialliteracyincanada.com) It describes the need for lifelong learning when it comes to Canadians and their money. But what does it say about what happens to your money and family when you are gone? The Task Force released…
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You should speak to your lawyer about alternatives to resolve estate disputes without going to trial. This includes mediation using a third party mediator. If you have tried mediation and it was unsuccessful, consider a settlement conference. You’ll get real benefit from such a conference by following…
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I am chairing, with Oakville lawyer, Joanna J. Ringrose (www.estateslawyer.ca), an Ontario Bar Association half-day programme featuring intermediate and advanced will and estate planning topics. This is the topic I will be speaking on: 5 Success Strategies for Your Estate Planning Practice How to increase your profitability…
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Seminars, workshops or webinars offer excellent ways for you to emotionally connect with your audience. That’s my thinking based on re-reading an article by George Hartman in the Investment Executive (November 2010). Hartman was writing about how seminars are making a comeback. He was reviewing the 3rd…
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Let me describe what the Kerr v Baranow case means for common-law spouses. Common-law spouses do not get property rights unless they make a claim, or are provided for adequately in an estate plan. Common-law spouses must sue their partners’ estate and make a claim for unjust…
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Canada’s Supreme Court has issued a warning for estate advisors. You need to become familiar with the concept of joint family venture. In February 2011 in the Kerr v. Baranow case, the Supreme Court clarified claims that can be made by common-law spouses. The decision affects you…
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Did your will give any property or support to your common-law spouse? You can expect lawyers to challenge your estate plan if that amount is inadequate. That’s the point I made during a recent call-in program on Wayne Baxter’s Right On the Money show for Zoomer radio,…
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The old rules for common-law spouses no longer apply for estate planning. You may have not worried about mentioning your common-law spouse in your will. Your lawyer may have told you it was safer not to give your common-law partner anything. You may have even tried to cut your…
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Canada’s Supreme Court has issued a wake-up call for common-law spouses. The law has changed based on decisions released February 2011. If you are a common-law spouse, you may not realize it but you have no legislative rights to inherit property in Ontario. In Kerr v. Baranow,…
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Tip #1 Remember that your marriage automatically revokes any previous will in Ontario. This is not the case in every jurisdiction, but if you don’t make a new will in Ontario, the government makes one for you. The government can then: determine who is in control of…
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