Milton Grant wanted to provide for his son, Thomas, through his will, but also wanted to ensure that Thomas developed a healthy work ethic. To that end, he drafted a paragraph in his will that provided his son receive lifetime employment from the company that Milton...
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cesia@wall-arm.ca
Buying a condo? Start here.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is Canada’s national housing agency. The primary reason the average person would come into contact with CMHC is because they offer mortgage insurance on many high-ratio mortgages for Canadians; if you are buying a house with...
How to inherit an estate
Most of us, at some point in our lives, will lose a loved one who will have left something in their will. If what you inherit is significant in value, you should keep a few points in mind. Take your time. You need to give yourself time to grieve, and then time to...
Rent or buy?
Here’s a really cool new site: using a complex calculation system, Trulia will calculate whether it is better for you to rent or buy. The system is currently only available for major American cities, but could be hugely helpful to people living there to be able to...
Wedding bells and divorce decrees
In Ontario, if you marry, your will is automatically revoked. Whenever I say this, even if the person I am speaking to is a bit surprised, they see the logic: revoking your will means that you do not accidentally disinherit a new spouse simply because you forgot to...
How low should you go?
Condo fees are a big part of the cost of owning a condo. If they are too high, they can make monthly expenses unaffordable, and can affect your resale value. What happens if they are too low? I was reading this great post over on the Toronto Realty Blog about how low...
Back to school
September marks the return to school of many students, including university- and college-age students. While many of these young people have little in the way of assets, and thus do not have a great need for wills or other estate planning documents, they do need...
Condo insurance
When buying a condo, many people know that the building is required to have insurance. The issue is when they assume that the building insurance also covers everything inside their unit. If you rely on the building's insurance, the first problem is that their...
A bit of resurrection
Vincent Bright was recently sentenced to probation for stealing his father's body out of a Detroit cemetery. The reason he stole the body was his belief that he could resurrect his father through his religious beliefs. He placed his father in his freezer at home; it...
Vacation time
I am on vacation this week, so I thought the blog should have a break too. I hope that you enjoyed the end of the summer - I will be back next week.