Key 4: Choose Executors to Handle Your Estate Imagine you have a daughter, Ann, an accountant, who lives far away on the west coast. You have another child, Bob, still living at home with you. Who should be the executor to guard your estate? Should it be…
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Key 3: Quickly Prepare a Proper Will Simon had no clue how to divide up his estate. He was going on a trip to Dallas and wanted to make a will before he left. He wondered, “If I leave $25,000 to Billy and $25,000 to Sally, will…
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Key 1: Start Right to Finish Right You don’t want to start your estate plan on the wrong foot like Diane did. Diane is a busy mother of twins. She wants her children to be protected should something happen to her. Her idea is that, “Planning an…
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Taxes are always confusing. Tax laws change daily. How are you going to stay on top of all this? You must rely on professionals to give you proper advice. Paying taxes can eat up your estate’s assets and destroy your dreams for your family. You can, however,…
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Start By Creating an Inventory of What You Own You can do this by drawing a circle on a piece of paper. Everything you own fits into this circle. I call this your estate pie. The three slices in your estate pie are your Will Assets, your…
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Question: As executor of a parent’s estate, do you need insurance to protect you? James Daw’s Toronto Star article at moneyville.ca suggests one answer is ERAssure.com. I’ll give you more info to consider. But you must check out this company’s site. It’s a marketer’s dream. Study it…
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The other day, a client asked my advice about challenging a will. Her relative, let’s say it was an Uncle Fernando, had died 3 years ago without a spouse or children. Fernando had told everyone what was in his will: “I’m going to divide things equally among…
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By meeting privately, Alex’s lawyer can also investigate if there has been any financial, emotional or physical abuse of the father. Alex may be reluctant to discuss such matters with a relative in the room. For the elderly, a visit to a lawyer can make a difference….
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Lawyers have a duty to assess Jeremy’s father’s competency to make a will. This is a legal and ethical responsibility that lawyers have, especially in dealing with the elderly. Lawyers must be prepared to testify in court, if necessary, to defend the wills they prepare. This means…
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Most lawyers will explain to Alex, Jeremy’s father, why his son must wait in reception. Alex’s lawyer must meet with Alex alone so all information remains confidential. Alex must be free to ask questions about his intentions and options without anyone else in the room. The lawyer…
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