Here’s a reason to have a will if you live in Cornwall: there, if you die without a will, your entire estate goes to the Prince of Wales. No joke: in the last six years, he has received over one million pounds from intestate estates. Get a will. Now.
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Estate Planning
Dying digitally
I am a big fan of the show Q on CBC Radio One. I listen daily (usually to the podcast), and often find interesting bits of information to use in other areas of my life. A few months ago, I heard Jian Ghomeshi interview Adele McAlear, creator of the site Death and...
Reviving the debate on physician-assisted suicide
Last week, I blogged about the Globe’s death series and the importance of living wills. This week I wanted to draw from that series again, but this time on a very different topic: euthanasia. This past summer, the British Columbia Superior Court released its decision...
Controlling your care
Late last year, the Globe and Mail ran a whole series of articles on death. They discussed many topics related to death and dying, generally and specifically within Canada. In this particular article, the question is on end-of-life care: what happens when someone is...
Knock-down drag-out
All too often, people fight over inheritances. One child received more, or in a different way; one child received specific items that another wanted; parents assumed that the children would get along and left an asset that was supposed to be shared, and now no one...
Why a lawyer is your friend
I’ve posted before about the value of using a lawyer over a will kit, but here are some more reasons if you need them. Lawyers: Listen to your goals and make sure they are reflected in your documents. Offer advice on structuring your assets beyond just the will. Are...
Making funeral planning easier
Back in June, I wrote a post called "Can you afford to die?" After publishing it, I was contacted by Sandra Bento from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services, who offered me a great deal of information on what the provincial government is doing to assist Ontarians...
To make it joint or not to make it joint, that is the question
I have a lot of clients who ask me for advice on adding a child to their bank account (or house, or investment, or numerous other items) in order to avoid probate. The catch, however, is that sometimes, the cure is worse than the disease. If you add your son on title...
Young, no kids, no assets: why do I need a will?
Historically, I have generally been of the view that you start needing a will when you have assets or dependants. So here is the question: what, exactly, constitutes having assets? Most of us think of assets as being a house, a car, maybe some investments. However,...
Handling disputes after death
I was given the opportunity to guest post over at the blog for Peaceful Transition, a local burial service. Tara was gracious enough to invite me to talk about what happens with executors and beneficiaries after death, and I shared a few stories of what could happen...