Bringing a new baby into your home is an exciting but anxiety-inducing time. There is so much change, especially if it is the first baby. There are also lots of financial implications. In retrospect, I’m not sure how we managed to accomplish it when we...
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A survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute at the end of 2017 found that less than half of Canadian adults had a will. Furthermore, of those who do, only about 25% said the document was up to date. Just Because You Wrote a Will… There is...
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Financial planners often encourage their clients to think long-term. We are more cautious about the risk of living too long, longevity risk, than we are about dying young. I subscribed to the print version of MoneySense magazine for many years before it went fully online. I...
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Probating a will sounds uncomfortable, doesn't it? Kind of like the legal equivalent of a doctor giving you a thorough physical exam… Perhaps there is something to that analogy. Although simple, small estates with a single heir may not require probating, the probate process has value...
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Estate planning has to do with more than just your will. There is a lot that fits in between good, healthy life and death. Once we reach mature adulthood, we might even think of the remainder of our lives as a long slow glide toward...
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At the end of 2020, the fathers of two friends and an uncle of mine died. For none of them was death unexpected. Two were over 100 and the other was 90. Even when death is expected, though, the loss of a loved one brings...
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The Kidney Foundation of Canada raises money to support people with kidney disease and to fund research into treatments for kidney disease. Each September, their big fundraising event is the Kidney Walk, which this year was held in a properly physically distanced manner; those with...
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An Introduction to Estate Planning – Part 4 I read about a well-off senior couple who had four children. They decided to “adopt a fifth child” for estate planning purposes. This meant that, in their will, instead of distributing their assets four ways equally among their...
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AN INTRODUCTION TO ESTATE PLANNING – PART 3.1 When people get around to making a will, they often think of their family first. If they are married, they will think of their spouse first. Some assets can be inherited directly, outside of the will. Here I...
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An Introduction to Retirement Planning – Part 4 Planning for retirement is not just about money. I think you could reasonably argue that money is almost the last thing to be considered. It is the tool that makes your plans for retirement executable. Mind you, it...
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