Estate Planning

Estate Planning

Joint property ownership: problems and pitfalls

Joint ownership of property is a popular estate planning tool. Here's how to use it right.

By Margaret O’Sullivan |September 19, 2011

4 min read

Estate Planning

Testamentary trusts can be better than joint ownership

For someone living in a jurisdiction with high probate taxes, it can be a near knee-jerk response to hold valuable property jointly with a spouse or with one or more children, with a right of survivorship.

By Barry Corbin |September 19, 2011

3 min read

Estate Planning

Tax consequences of owning property jointly

Moving property from sole ownership into joint ownership with a right of survivorship is a particularly seductive means of reducing exposure to probate taxes.

By Barry Corbin |September 19, 2011

3 min read

Estate Planning

How to tailor insurance to affluent clients

Regular folks worry about debts, mortgages and the ability of their dependants to generate income after they die. High-net-worth clients don’t have to.

By David Wm. Brown |September 19, 2011

2 min read

Five ways clients can avoid property hassles

Holding property jointly has long been called the “poor man’s will”—a way for a person to transfer wealth on death without spending the money to draw up proper documents. So, if a client is considering transferring property into joint ownership with a spouse or children, play devil’s advocate and explain the risks

By Barry Corbin |September 1, 2011

2 min read

Will estate taxes come back?

Read: André L’Espérance’s column Increasing estate value for the affluent Will estate taxes come back to Canada? They are certainly in the spotlight. The estate tax debate lurches back and forth in the U.S., as the legacy of the tax package enacted by the Bush administration in 2001 – with a sunset clause allowing the […]

By Scot Blythe |August 15, 2011

4 min read

Combining insurance policies

An insured annuity can be a powerful tool to help business owners maximize retirement income while minimizing tax. This type of annuity involves simultaneously purchasing a life annuity and a life insurance policy.

3 min read

Estate Planning

Joint property ownership: problems and pitfalls

Testamentary trusts can be better than joint ownership

Tax consequences of owning property jointly

How to tailor insurance to affluent clients

Income splitting from beyond the grave

Get beneficiary designations right

Inter vivos trusts help minimize tax

Five ways clients can avoid property hassles

Will estate taxes come back?

Combining insurance policies