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…
It’s common for people to desire a sense of privacy and confidentiality when they prepare their last will and testament. For some, the risk that loved ones might be insulted or angered by the inheritances you chose to gift them…
Often people are aware of what a last will and testament is – legal bequests for how they wish for their estate to be distributed to loved ones upon their passing. Another type of will is the living will –…
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…
As people get older, it is generally recommended that they appoint a power of attorney (POA). Without fully understanding the extent of the duties and responsibilities, people often accept the role, intending to be as helpful as possible during difficult…
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…
In BC, most will-writers should expect to have their will go through the probate process, where the courts verify that the will is real and legally valid. When a will goes through probate, the estate is to pay approximately 1.4%…
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…
For those familiar with estate planning, you may have seen the phrases “per stirpes” or “per capita” in a will and wondered what these terms mean. Generally, these are terms used to clarify how a gift is to be distributed…
