Domenic called me to ask for legal advice. His sister had their father’s power of attorney. She had “taken control of my father’s welfare and wealth,” as he put it. Now his sister was ignoring him. “What are my rights to challenge her in court?” Domenic asked….
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Do executors have to pay someone else’s income taxes? Wouldn’t it be nice if they got a free pass? You know like a get-out-of-jail Monopoly card. But this card also gets you out of tax trouble. Well, the reality is estate executors have to pay all of…
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You receive a phone call late at night. Your distant cousin died and made you executor of his estate. You want to help and jump into action. Consider if you should accept the job. You may think I am callous. After all, a person asked you to…
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You may need some good news if you have recently lost your common law spouse in Ontario. If you qualify and need support, laws allow you to apply for dependant’s relief. The hard part is that, like many of my clients, you need to start a legal…
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My wife told me that her dream had an important warning. She described the characters in her dream. “They were wearing red coats. Red means risk and danger,” she said. “Don’t take any unnecessary chances today.” I’m no Sigmund Freud when it comes to interpreting dreams. But…
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Are you an estate executor under a will? You may get a call from a mysterious co-executor like I did yesterday. The caller said, “My name is Mitch Davis. I was told by my uncle that you and I are the co-executors under his last will.” “Who…
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Estate disputes are common events. These disputes range from seating arrangements at a funeral home to court cases contesting a will. Are you an executor or, in Ontario, an estate trustee? You must hire lawyers to perform legal work. If you do, are you, as executor, liable…
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Executors depend on lawyers for legal advice in estate disputes. Can executors continuously sign blank estate cheques to pay lawyers? How long can they sign these cheques, and how much can they spend? What is reasonable? Are you an executor in an estate dispute? Read this post…
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I have posted a power of attorney story that will interest all mothers. You can read the story, entitled “Why Do You Forsake Family?”, on Money.ca. It is about a mother named Sharon. She has issues with a family power of attorney. Many people do not understand…
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If you are an estate executor, you need to learn new words. Here are four simple words that will help you as estate executor. If you know these, you won’t fall down the rabbit hole. The four words are Renounce, Resign, Remove, and Release. Let’s look at…
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