CAPITAL GAINS ARE HANDLED DIFFERENTLY WITH FARMLAND

When an individual dies any farmland they own is treated differently than land containing that individual’s principle residence. On the death of a taxpayer, farmland can be transferred (sold) on a rollover basis at the adjusted cost base (ACB), or at any price up to fair market value (FMV). A rollover means the transaction of transferring (selling) the farm takes place without any tax being payable immediately. This is beneficial because normally capital gains tax is payable when a business changes hands, and farming operations usually do not have a lot of cash on hand compared to assets like equipment, vehicles, and crops. [Read more…]

ODSP ELIGIBILITY AND INCOME

The Ontario Disability Support Program provides eligible people with disabilities with income support to pay for living expenses such as food and housing. Eligibility for this program, as well as the amount of income support you can receive, is directly affected by a person’s income. [Read more…]

FAMILY MEETINGS AND SECURING YOUR LEGACY

A Family Meeting can be an effective component of Estate Planning. If you have a complex Estate or you will be creating an imbalance in the division of your assets amongst your children, a Family Meeting can be useful in helping the family to understand the ins and outs of your Estate and the decisions you are making.

[Read more…]

ALTERNATE TRUSTEES AND BENEFICIARIES

Many people who seek to have their Wills drafted are adults whose children have already reached the age of majority and moved away from home. In cases such as these, many people would question the need to have an alternate estate trustee or beneficiary if they name their independent adult child to those roles. However, it is important to consider the possibility that if only one estate trustee or beneficiary is selected, and that person dies before the person who made the Will, then there is no one to act as the trustee or inherit the estate. [Read more…]

AGE AT TIME OF INHERITANCE MATTERS

If you do not specify the age(s) at which your children are to receive an inheritance from you, they will receive it at age 18. Very few children have the maturity to handle a significant inheritance (or any form of inheritance) at age 18.

You can specify at whatever age you want your children to receive the money. You can also provide for a graduated distribution with the inheritance being paid out at multiple ages. For example: [Read more…]

CANADA PENSION CHILDREN’S BENEFIT

A child who has lost at least one parent who was a CPP contributor may qualify for the CPP Children’s Benefit.

A child is defined as being under the age of 18 or being between the ages or 18 and 25 and in full-time attendance at school or university. The monthly children’s benefit is a flat rate that is adjusted annually. A child may get up to 2 benefits if both parents paid into the CPP for the minimum number of years (3) and each parent is either disabled or deceased. [Read more…]

ARE THEY AN APPROPRIATE ESTATE PLANNING TOOL FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT?

When purchasing a home, most buyers require a mortgage to finance the purchase. In the midst of all the paperwork and information a bank requires to approve a mortgage, they will often offer life insurance through the bank—insurance that promises to pay off the balance of the mortgage should something happen to you or any other person on the mortgage with you. The cost seems pretty reasonable, they only ask you a few questions on the application and the idea of insurance is reassuring—so should you go for it? [Read more…]

The decision to purchase or sell a home is not one that should be taken lightly. An Agreement of Purchase and Sale, the standard agreement entered into during a real estate transaction, is a legal and binding contract. Its terms can be subject to conditions that need to be met in order for the transaction to close, but it should not be interpreted as something that one can just “get out of” if they change their minds. [Read more…]

HOW MUCH AUTHORITY DO EXECUTOR’S REALLY HAVE?

The authority of an Executor or Estate Trustee comes from the wording of a Will (if there is one), the various Estate Administration Statutes and previous cases that have been decided by Courts.

Estate litigation is rampant in Ontario these days. A trend that seems to be developing is a perception by Executors that they have complete authority to make decisions in relation to the Estate regardless of what the Will says and regardless of what their other legal obligations are. [Read more…]

DISINHERITING …

When parents draft Wills they occasionally decide that one or more of their children should receive less than their other children. In some cases parents decide to leave nothing to one or more of their children.

There are many reasons for treating children differently when it comes to their inheritance: [Read more…]