When a loved one passes away unexpectedly, family and friends may be left with no idea who responsible for planning the funeral, or how the deceased would have wanted it to be arranged. As a general rule of thumb, the…
With the world quickly becoming more and more digital, people are constantly looking for new ways to go paperless. For many documents and papers, it’s easy and safe to keep a copy on your computer, phone, or in 'the cloud'.…
It's very common for parents to be concerned about how their children will use their inheritances and many worry about assets falling outside of the family - often as a result of subsequent divorce or separation of the child. For…
Sometimes, will writers are aware that a gift in their will is going to cause conflict between loved ones and could lead to litigation after their passing. In an attempt to prevent legal action from being taken, will writers can…
Sometimes, children are unpleasantly surprised to learn that one of their siblings is receiving a larger inheritance from their parents than they are, even though they shared a similar relationship with their parent. Feeling like they've been treated unfairly, they…
Wills in BC can be ruled invalid if a claimant can prove the testator was under undue influence from an interested party at the time of the will writing. Undue influence is described in British Columbia as “An influence causing…
When a married couple gets a divorce, the spouses sometimes forget to change their will to reflect this major life change – to remove the ex-spouse from their will. When this happens, the divorced spouse can be left receiving a…
The job of an executor is no easy task; it can include a number of different responsibilities as the executor prepares the estate for distribution to its beneficiaries. Many executors agree to take on the role without fully understanding the…
BC has some of the most favourable estate laws for children who have been unfairly disinherited by their parents. The courts insist that parents provide 'adequate provisions for the proper maintenance and support' of their children unless they have legally…
As part of their estate plan, people often elect to give inter-vivos (before death) gifts to their loved ones to minimize probate fees and to allow loved ones to enjoy their inheritance earlier. Some testators may not be aware that…
