Estate planning

Tax News

8 tax questions to share with clients

Before clients get caught up in the holidays, urge them to start tax planning.

By Staff |December 14, 2015

2 min read

Tax Strategies

Expect welcome changes to spousal trust rules

The Department of Finance is currently considering input from professional bodies in the tax and estate planning community.

By Florence Marino |December 9, 2015

3 min read

Top financial terms of 2015

To end the year we’re bringing you our Top 3 Financial Terms of 2015. Beginning this week, and running through the week of December 21, we’ll post a package of material including coverage and analysis of some of the most important issues of the year.

By Staff |December 4, 2015

1 min read

How executors should handle funeral arrangements

One of the first responsibilities of any executor is to make funeral arrangements for the deceased. But what if the will doesn’t mention funeral arrangements? Who decides what happens at the funeral—and at what cost? Wide discretion Mary-Jane Wilson, partner at Wilson Rasmussen LLP in Surrey, B.C., says executors have final say on all decisions […]

By James Dolan |November 6, 2015

4 min read

What happens to estate planning when both heir and testator die?

Client profile Brenda Paulson* was driving her ailing father, 92-year-old Adam Bodenheimer, to a hospital in Ajax, Ont., when they were struck by a truck running a red light. Adam was pronounced dead on the scene, while Brenda died in hospital 6 days later. It didn’t take long for two estate battles to erupt. *This […]

6 min read

Help clients avoid lonely deaths

What happens when a person dies alone? A haunting New York Times article investigates this question by chronicling the story of George Bell, a 72-year-old man who died in 2014. Bell lived alone, and had few relatives and friends. His body was discovered by police after a neighbour, who’d smelled the odor of death from […]

By Staff |October 19, 2015