This handbook is for those who have been appointed an executor (now called an “estate trustee”) in Ontario. Read further for excerpts from "How to Administer an Estate in Ontario: Plain Language Handbook", available on Amazon... 01 Sep

How to Administer an Estate in Ontario: Plain Language Handbook

A contingent beneficiary can receive insurance proceeds, an inheritance, or retirement assets when the primary beneficiary is deceased, missing, or refuses to claim them at the time the account becomes due. 18 Jun

Do Contingent Beneficiaries Have Any Legal Rights?

Ottawa Mother's Quest for Late Son's Passwords: An Uncharted Legal Road | Digital Distress | Accessing Online Accounts | Estates Gone Wrong 08 May

Mother’s Quest for Late Son’s Passwords

Probate Terminology: Defining Commonly Used Legal Terms 23 Apr

Probate Terminology: Defining Commonly Used Legal Terms

We may not have billions to lose, but we can still learn something from these families' misfortunes. Here's how five of the richest American families lost their money — and you may want to take notes. 24 Mar

How Five of America’s Old Money Families Lost It All

Disney is one of the biggest media companies in the world, with an estimated net worth of nearly $130 billion. From a family-trust-fund feud to generous philanthropic endeavors, here's a look at the three generations of the Disney family. 11 Feb

Disney Family Feud as Heirs Battle for $400 Million Trust Fund

Battles over Marilyn Monroe's estate shed light on the challenges of protecting intellectual property rights posthumously. Disputes emerged over the ownership and commercial use of her image and likeness.  21 Nov

Marilyn Monroe’s Estate Continues to Make People Rich… But Who???

Potential pitfalls associated with poor estate planning exposed as a detective investigates the death of the patriarch of a combative family. 07 Sep

Knives Out | American Mystery Film | 2019

Gene Roddenberry is widely known as the mind behind Star Trek but less well known is his ugly estate litigation fight that centered around the definition of “Star Trek.” 07 Aug

To Boldly Go Where No Estate Litigation Has Gone Before

The members of one of Canada’s wealthiest dynasties are now openly accusing each other of reckless spending, incompetent leadership and outright fraud... in a web of litigation so complex it could keep them bound up in court for years to come. 17 Jun

Stronach Family Trust Dispute: Inside the $500-Million Feud

Disinheriting a child can tear a family apart, if —revealed only after the parent in question has died— it comes as a surprise. Much of this conflict can be avoided if the parent in question has a candid conversation with family members in advance. 16 Apr

Disinheriting a Child Shouldn’t Take Your Family By Surprise!

Gore-Tex Heiress, Susan Gore, has been denied the right to adopt her 65-year-old ex-husband as a means to boost her family's inheritance fortune. 21 Mar

Court Ruling: Heiress Cannot Adopt Ex-Husband for Inheritance