Blog
Celebrating
our 10th year
blog anniversary
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Toronto Ontario Estate Law Blog
U.S. Estate and Gift Tax Planning – Considerations for 2013 and Beyond
Canadians with connections to the U.S., including those who own U.S. assets or have family south of the border, watched with interest as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA”), became law in early January 2013. The ATRA answered important questions about the future of U.S. transfer taxes, including
Beneficiary Designations: When Less is Not More
You may know that having a beneficiary designation for your life insurance policies or registered retirement plans (RSPs) is a good idea, including in order to avoid Ontario estate administration tax (previously probate fees) on the value of assets which would otherwise pass through your estate (see our Client Advisory
Multi-jurisdictional Succession Issues Checklist
An increasing number of individuals have connections to more than one jurisdiction which can significantly affect their estate planning. In this Blog post, we explore a few special issues and considerations that need to be factored in estate planning to ensure a comprehensive and effective estate plan where there is
U.S. Securities and Other “U.S. Situs Property” – U.S. Estate Tax Issues for Canadian Residents Who are Not U.S. Citizens or Residents
Many Canadians own shares of U.S. publicly traded corporations and other U.S. securities which they may not know can expose them to significant U.S. estate tax on their death and require their executors to file a U.S. estate tax return and pay any U.S. estate tax due. Pursuant to the
The New Ontario Estate Administration Tax Regime – What You Need to Know
Recent revisions to the Estate Administration Tax Act (Ontario) under which the Province charges tax of approximately 1.5% of the value of an estate when a will is probated by the court (colloquially “probate fees”) should be of concern to everyone because of the new reporting, enforcement and penalty provisions
Reflections on the “Trusted Advisor”
We increasingly see use of the term “trusted advisor”, particularly in the arena of financial and estate planning services. But what is a “trusted advisor” as opposed to someone simply providing advice? At its root I would submit is the requirement that a trusted advisor acts in the best interests
Who May Be a U.S. Citizen and Why It Matters For Estate Planning and Tax Compliance
Could you or someone you know be a U.S. citizen without knowing it, and maybe even without having lived in the United States? In this post, we discuss how someone can be a U.S. citizen by virtue of Just sanguinis – blood relationship – and some resulting tax implications. By
Trusts – It’s Not All About the Tax
While there are several tax reasons to consider a trust for current and future planning, sometimes the best reasons to set up a trust now or in a will have nothing to do with tax. Three excellent reasons to use a trust? Matrimonial issues, protecting children and wealth preservation. •
WELCOME
A warm welcome to our inaugural blog post. In our future posts, we hope to provide concise, cogent and creative thoughts, ideas, perspectives and information on trust and estate matters, with a focus on cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and domestic issues. Over the next while, we will deal with a number of