estate planning

Estate Plans and Your Children

After spending a lifetime managing your money to ensure that you actually have something to leave to your heirs, there are some questions that might naturally spring to mind. How much should you leave them? Should you make arrangements to give it to them while you're still alive? More importantly, will giving them a large sum of money actually help them or set them up for failure? These are just three of the most important things you should consider before setting up your estate distribution plan.

Advice to a Future Widow

Most wives outlive their husbands. Women live longer than men the same age and tend to marry men who are older than they are. So, if you're a wife, it is more likely you will become a widow than your husband becoming a widower.

Knowing this, how can you prepare for it?

First of all, when widowhood strikes, don't do anything drastic. Do not sell the house or car. Don't decide to move to another town. You have just suffered a very traumatic experience and your system needs time to adjust to it. Take your time.

Dealing with a Family Cottage

When Jesse and Kae Burke purchased a vacation cottage 30 years ago, they knew it was a good investment, but creating time for family was their primary goal. Indeed, the property value had appreciated considerably, but more importantly, it had given them a lifetime of memories with their children and, more recently, their grandchildren.

Preparing for Wealth Transfer

By 2026, an estimated $1 trillion in personal wealth will be transferred from one generation to the next in Canada1, the largest transfer of wealth in our country's history. This transition involves financial complexities for both benefactors and their heirs. Without planning and clarity, wealth transfer can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

If you are preparing to bequeath wealth to your heirs or anticipate receiving an inheritance, some of the information outlined below might be helpful.

Where's the Money?

When Dora died on August 1, 2018, most of her assets passed by Will to her adult children and were therefore subject to probate. $250,000 was in GICs and a fairly rapid transfer of this money to her heirs was expected. But that was not the case. They had to wait until March 2020 for it. That's right, almost two years.

Using a Trust to Avoid Probate Fees

When Simon's father passed away two years ago, he didn't think much about how his estate would be handled. His mother had died five years before, and his dad's will was clear about how his assets would be divided. Then came probate, a process to confirm the validity of his will. Not only did unexpected fees come out of his dad's estate, it took almost a year to settle and distribute it.

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