Author Archives: ERAssure

How Does the Current Housing Market Boom Impact Canadian Executors?

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has added fuel to the housing market fire, driving listing prices to unprecedented amounts both in Waterloo Region and across Canada. Everyone seems to be either loving it or hating it, depending largely on whether you’re buying, selling, or just watching your home value soar with glee. “More than twice…

Selling Estate Property to Family Members

As an executor of a will, it’s fairly common to be faced with the scenario of selling estate property to family members, like a family cottage. Typically, the amount that the land, home, cottage, or condo is sold for is administered amongst the beneficiaries in portions dictated by the will. But it isn’t always that…

Estate Planning in Canada 2020: Social Media, Cryptocurrency, & Digital Assets

Every year brings new technology to make our lives easier and more efficient, but as we all sign up for electronic billing, social media accounts, and financial planning apps, it makes estate planning in Canada more complex. If you or a loved one were to pass away suddenly, consider these questions: Does anyone have your…

Cryptocurrency Creates A New Role: The Electronic Estate Executor

Many Canadians wish they had bought cryptocurrency as the value of a single BitCoin rose from $1,229 to $17,618 throughout 2017 (in Canadian dollars). Everyday investors have begun to dive into the Bitcoin craze to make their fortunes even though the cryptocurrency has received criticism financial experts around the globe.

Should Executors Have Unlimited Liability While Grieving?

Canadians who plan for the day when they must pass on their estates face a quiet fear that many of us don’t acknowledge for most of our lives. It takes courage to follow the necessary steps to ensure that their legacies survive as intended. That leaves us asking the question should Executors have unlimited liability…

The 725 Days After Your Funeral

Have you ever considered the amount of time and attention many people spend organizing, pre-planning, or writing down their preferences for their funeral? It’s a very important statement for some people, but for many others, it is done simply to minimize the emotional discomfort and potential tension that final arrangements can create within the family….

Can You Include Pets in Your Will?

A growing number of pet-owning Canadians are revising their Wills to include their four-legged family members. Though the idea may seem a bit bizarre, the reasons for including pets in your will are quite the same as including a child: As a safety precaution should the owners pass away before the pet. To avoid the…

Passing of Accounts: The Under Utilized Release for Trustees

by Sarah ShipleyWills and Estates Lawyer since 2011 The passing of accounts refers to the formal process by which a personal representative, whether Estate Trustee, Trustee, Attorney or Guardian collectively referred to herein as a “Trustee”, presents the estate or trust accounts in the court approved format to the beneficiaries and the court.

Who Should Be My Executor?

“Who should be my executor?” is one of the first and most important questions to ask yourself when you’re making your estate plan or Will. Planning an estate or preparing a will involves important decision making. Every year, Canadians consider which items to include in their will. Some of these items include choosing a guardian…

Who Gets Your Estate Without a Will?

“A surprising 51% of Canadians have an estate without a Will.” Angus Reid Institute Why are so many of us neglecting this important part of planning for our future? And what happens to an estate when it doesn’t have a Will or Executor to direct it?