With Remembrance Day around the corner, I thought I would talk today about wills for men and women serving in the military. For the most part, doing a will is no different for those in the armed forces. The Canadian Armed Forces administrative staff do a very good job...
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estate planning
Remembering a tractor
65 years ago, Cecil Harris was out in his field when he jumped off his tractor to check on something. The tractor unfortunately kept going, and he became trapped underneath it. Recognizing that he might die, he scratched instructions into the side of the tractor: “In...
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...
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...
Sorting your stuff
When people think about estate fights, they often think that the heirs are fighting over large bank accounts, or country properties. More often than not, however, family members will fight longest and hardest over the stuff. My grandfather passed away when I was 18....
No assets? At least consider a power of attorney
A lot of people tell me that they have no major assets, and no dependants, so they don't need to have a will drafted. While I'm not entirely sure I agree with that, even if you don't need a will, it doesn't mean you don't need to do estate planning. If you were...
A code of conduct for will drafters
I spent four wonderful years at Queen's University, where I majored in women's studies and minored in English literature. After a year off teaching English in South Korea, I then went to law school at the University of Ottawa where I completed my law degree, articled...
To plan, or not to plan. That is the question.
I am a big fan of Seth Godin. I read his blog daily, and I've read several of his books (and have the others on my to-read list). He is a very powerful writer, not least because what he writes is so simple. A few weeks ago, he wrote this post about health care...
Yours, mine and ours
I have clients who are a classic blended family. She had a child young and separated from the father when her daughter was three; he divorced his wife when his daughter was seven; and when they married, they had a child together. They consider all three children to be...
Have a coffee with your discussion of dying
Have you ever heard of a death café? Neither had I, until I read this article at the Globe and Mail last week. Basically, they are informal gatherings – sometimes at coffee shops, sometimes in people’s homes – where a small group can get together, enjoy tea and...