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WILLS & ESTATE
Parents Beware – Joint Ownership with Adult Child
One of the most common estate planning techniques is adding a child as a joint owner on a bank account, investment or real estate property. Although it sounds like a simple and effective technique, it can actually cause more problems than it makes out to solve and can...
What Information Must an Estate Trustee Disclose to Beneficiaries?
An estate trustee owes a fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries of an estate. Beneficiaries have the ability to force the estate trustee to perform their duties and obligations according to the law in Ontario. Duties As a fiduciary, the estate trustee, is held to a high...
What Happens If You Die Without A Will?
When a person dies without a Will, called “intestate”, the Ontario Succession Law Reform Act sets out how the deceased’s estate is distributed. Legally Married? Common law spouses do not apply If you are legally married and do not have any children, your spouse is...
Dependant’s Support Claims – A Guide
The law in Ontario acknowledges that there is a moral obligation for the needs of dependants, including children, parents and spouse to be given adequate support from one’s estate. Ontario law has acknowledged that certain relationships trump a testator’s freedom to...
Why you need a Will – Simple Steps to Getting Started
Every adult should have a will; however, many Canadians don’t. According to an Angus Reid Institute Survey from January 2018, 51% of Canadians had no last will or testament, while 35% of Canadians have one that wasn’t up to date. In Canada, if someone dies without a...
Disinherited? What are your options?
The mere fact that you were left out or treated unequally in a Will may not be enough to contest or challenge it. The law in Ontario stands for testamentary freedom…