Life Insurance Gifts Restructured

Life insurance is an effective way to make a significant future donation, but the unfortunate reality is that charitable policies have a high lapse rate.  Thousands of policies have been donated since 1979 when the Canada Revenue Agency allowed premiums to be receipted.  Sadly too few pay out to fund charitable programs. There are some practical reasons for the lapse rate. Charitable life insurance policies are sold in the moment,….

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Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

MULTIPLE WILLS: PART 1

The use of multiple wills for probate planning purposes has been part of the estate planning toolbox in Ontario for many years. The basic concept is straightforward. A separate will is prepared that governs those assets of the deceased for which the executors should not, based on current law and practice, require probate to administer (I will use the term “Secondary Will” for this will and “Primary Will” for the….

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Estate Planning

Is a gift in a will to a fake name valid?

In a recent episode of the Starz TV show The Girlfriend Experience, an unusual estate administration issue arose (mild spoilers ahead). The show tells the story of Christine Reade (Riley Keough), a law student and intern who secretly moonlights as a high end escort in Chicago (a thinly disguised Toronto serves as the shooting location). One night, Christine gets a call from Peter Gramercy, a lawyer for the estate of one….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation

Post Mortem Pipeline Planning – Business Continuity

Recently, a fellow blogger wrote about the benefit of post-mortem pipeline transactions to avoid double tax on disposition of certain assets. Briefly, a pipeline transaction is a form of transaction whereby the assets of a corporation are distributed to shareholders utilizing the high adjusted cost base resulting from the capital gains realized on death, rather than as a distribution in the form of a dividend. In this sense, the use….

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Business Succession Planning, Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Investments, Property, Real Estate, Succession Planning, Tax Issues
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