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  • Estates Gone Wrong
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  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Related Resources
  • Legacy Lexicon
Neutral Ground in Family Storms: How the appointment of a professional estate executor can help families navigate turbulent waters. 12 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

Reasons for Appointing a Neutral Professional in The Role of Executor

The right planning can ensure you pass down your home without your kids facing large tax liabilities. Here's a simple guide to how it works... 10 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Property Pitfalls

How to Leave Property to Your Kids Tax-Free

With the right strategy in place, you can celebrate your role as a grandparent by creating an enduring, tax-efficient legacy. Learm more about the Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) tax and how to protect your family’s legacy. 10 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Tax-Smart Strategies

Legacy Planning: The Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax

While a verbal promise might be enforceable in certain circumstances, it’s best to have the promised inheritance in writing. This article explores the legal obligations that come with promised inheritance in British Columbia.  09 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

Protecting Your Verbally Promised Inheritance

Recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision provides an important lesson to farming families and their professional advisors: good intentions and family loyalty, while laudable, are no substitute for clear, enforceable agreements. 05 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Succession Lessons

Court Decision: Important Lesson for Ontario Farming Families

Life Insurance is more than just a safety net. It’s a strategic tool. Learn how life insurance is not just about risk— it’s about opportunity... in this in-depth guide to understanding the different types of Life Insurance for Estate Planning in Canada. 05 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

Understanding The Role of Life Insurance in Estate Planning

It is important to clearly document and communicate intentions when making either a loan or a gift to a family member. Sometimes we assume a verbal agreement is sufficient but having clear written documentation removes uncertainty and mitigates the risk of disputes arising after the fact. 05 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Family Disputes

A Family Feud Unwrapped in Court: Gifts vs Loans

Even if AI tools produce legal documents that look valid, the risks are obvious. Can the court step in and fix errors in an AI-generated Will? 04 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Digital Distress

Testator Intent: AI Generated Wills Lack “Proof & Context”

Incapacity can happen suddenly and without warning, but the good news is that it’s entirely possible to plan ahead. By putting the right legal protections in place, you’re not only preserving your dignity and autonomy—you’re also giving your loved ones the gift of clarity and guidance during uncertain times. 04 Sep
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

Planning Ahead for Incapacity and Medical Emergencies

Ontario Estate Court Forms Revamped: Key Changes You Need to Know 29 Aug
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

Ontario Estate Court Forms Revamped: Key Changes

While a letter of wishes is not legally binding, it can still serve as a useful tool and an added “personal touch” to an estate plan, offering clarity on decisions, ensuring wishes are understood and guiding those involved in the administration of the estate. 22 Aug
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Related Resources

The Letter of Wishes: A Personal Touch to Your Estate Plan

What happens when parents don’t choose guardians properly? The courts step in. Your children become part of a legal process instead of seamlessly transitioning to the loving family member you had in mind. Understanding the legal framework will help you make better decisions for your family. 21 Aug
  • by Estates Gone Wrong
  • Curated Content, Guardian Safeguards

Complete Guide to Choosing a Guardian in Ontario

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Recent:

Long-Term Care (LTC) is expensive, unpredictable and often prolonged. The projected “great wealth transfer” may therefore become far more concentrated among families who are wealthy enough to absorb years of care costs without exhausting their assets.

US Long-Term Care Costs ‘Eating into’ Family Wealth

Estate trustees (Executors) have a duty to keep accurate records of estate assets and transactions throughout their administration and to account to beneficiaries at appropriate intervals.

Keeping Meticulous Records: Practical Tips for Executors

Have Canadian boomers saved enough for retirement? It doesn't seem like it... And the numbers suggest this isn’t just a handful of unlucky families. It’s a structural problem with how an entire generation approached retirement.

Why Canadian Kids Are Bailing Out Boomer Parents

A handshake promise to leave the family farm can legally override a written will in New South Wales. The legal mechanism is equitable estoppel, and courts have enforced it in farm succession disputes where the evidence is strong enough.

NSW Inheritance Law: Can a Verbal Promise Override a Will?

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