Category Archives: Featured

AGE AT TIME OF INHERITANCE MATTERS If you do not specify the age(s) at which your children are to receive an inheritance from you, they will receive it at age 18. Very few children have the maturity to handle a … Continue reading →

CANADA PENSION CHILDREN’S BENEFIT A child who has lost at least one parent who was a CPP contributor may qualify for the CPP Children’s Benefit. A child is defined as being under the age of 18 or being between the … Continue reading →

ARE THEY AN APPROPRIATE ESTATE PLANNING TOOL FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT? When purchasing a home, most buyers require a mortgage to finance the purchase. In the midst of all the paperwork and information a bank requires to approve a … Continue reading →

HOW MUCH AUTHORITY DO EXECUTOR’S REALLY HAVE? The authority of an Executor or Estate Trustee comes from the wording of a Will (if there is one), the various Estate Administration Statutes and previous cases that have been decided by Courts. … Continue reading →

DISINHERITING … When parents draft Wills they occasionally decide that one or more of their children should receive less than their other children. In some cases parents decide to leave nothing to one or more of their children. There are … Continue reading →

ARE BANK ACCOUNTS PART OF THE ESTATE ASSETS? It is not uncommon for parents to make their bank accounts joint with one or more of their children. This is particularly so when the parents are quite elderly. When an account … Continue reading →

GETTING OUT OF A REAL ESTATE DEAL The decision to purchase or sell a home is not one that should be taken lightly. An Agreement of Purchase and Sale, the standard agreement entered into during a real estate transaction, is … Continue reading →

EQUALIZATION AFTER DEATH OF SPOUSE IS AN OPTION A Spouse has options to ensure that they receive appropriate financial support from the Estate of their deceased Spouse.  When a spouse dies, the surviving spouse does not necessarily have to accept whatever … Continue reading →

BUYER FAILS TO CLOSE REAL ESTATE PURCHASE The Ontario real estate market experienced a significant correction in the spring of 2017 with the foreign buyer 15% tax imposed by the provincial government for GTA properties and the new Mortgage Stress … Continue reading →

ESTATE PROPERTY MAY “VEST” 3 YEARS AFTER THE DATE OF DEATH As a general rule, real estate that has not been transferred by an Executor / Estate Trustee of the Estate will “vest” in the beneficiaries of the Estate 3 … Continue reading →