ESTATE ADMINISTRATION - INVESTMENTS UNDER POWER OF ATTORNEY

An Attorney acting under a Power of Attorney for Property is required to be careful with investments. If the Power of Attorney for Property of the incapacitated person gives specific authority to make certain types of investments, an attorney can make those investments. Otherwise, an attorney should assume that they will be held liable by the incapacitated person or the beneficiaries of their estate when they die (even though they may not actually be liable) for any losses and invest conservatively. [Read more...]

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION - ESTATE INVESTMENTS

An Estate Trustee (Executor) is required to be careful with estate investments. If the Last Will and Testament of the deceased person gives specific authority to make certain types of investments, an executor can make those investments. Otherwise, an executor should assume that they will be held liable by beneficiaries of an estate (even though they may not actually be liable) for any losses and invest conservatively. [Read more...]

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION – CPP SURVIVOR’S PENSION

If your spouse contributed to CPP, you may be eligible to receive a CPP survivor’s pension. To qualify you must be the legal or common law spouse of the deceased.

The amount of the pension can be a bit confusing to determine. The following link to the Service Canada Website will help you figure it out.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/cpp/survivor.shtml

[Read more...]

NON-CONTINUING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR PROPERTY

If your Power of Attorney does not specifically indicate that it is a Continuing Power of Attorney for Property or say that it allows the people you name to continue to act for you in the event of mental incapacity, the Power of Attorney will be valid only so long as you are mentally capable.

CONTACT US

Feel free to contact us at any point for assistance or advice with respect to Estate Planning, Estate Administration or Estate Law. We may be reached at 705.435.4339 or contact us via email.

POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR PROPERTY WITH ONLY ONE WITNESS

Prior to 1995 the law did not require 2 witnesses to a Power of Attorney for Property. The law was changed in 1995 to require 2 witnesses.

Provided a pre-1995 Power of Attorney for Property otherwise complies with the Rules which existed at the time, it is not invalid because it only has 1 witness.

CONTACT US

Feel free to contact us at any point for assistance or advice with respect to Estate Planning, Estate Administration or Estate Law. We may be reached at 705.435.4339 or contact us via email.

Estate litigation is becoming increasingly popular in Ontario. Estate litigation relates to many different aspects of an estate including:

• Whether or not the deceased had the capacity to make a Will;
• Whether someone forced the deceased to make changes to their Will which benefited some beneficiaries and not others;
• Whether those who acted under Power of Attorney before the deceased passed away dealt with the assets properly and had accounted for them;
• Whether an executor is properly administering an estate;
• Just about any other aspect of an estate that you can imagine. [Read more...]