Ottawa Transition Forum/Le Forum d’Ottawa pour la transition
For those who will join us at the Ottawa Transition Forum tonight, we have compiled a list of resources which are relevant to Natasha Ell Saunders’ presentation “Adult Guardianship – what parents need to know”.
I recently met with Gary and Sue (not their real names) at my law office in Stittsville, part of the City of Ottawa. Their son, who had been diagnosed with autism as a young child, was just about to turn 18. They had many of the same questions as other parents with a child with a disability have when approaching this milestone birthday and transition to adulthood. In particular, Gary and Sue had questions concerning powers of attorney and guardianship and how they differ.
Publication: Law Times
Issue: October 21, 2013
Link to Law Times: www.lawtimesnews.com
I recently met with Janice (not her real name) at my law office in Stittsville near Ottawa, Ontario. Janice had been appointed as executor of her uncle’s estate. She had been told by a friend that she could be paid for acting as an executor. Her uncle’s Will made no mention of executor compensation so Janice wasn’t sure whether she could be paid and, if so, how much.
I recently met with Jack (not his real name) at my law office near Stittsville in the City of Ottawa. Jack had a question which many of the executors that I meet with also ask. Jack’s mother had passed away 6 months ago. He had been appointed as the executor of her estate. His mother had left everything to be divided equally among Jack and his brother and sister. Jack’s sister, Susan, was in long-term care due to some serious health issues and her care costs were climbing. Jack was worried about her and wondered if he was allowed (as executor) to give Susan some of her inheritance right away. He and his brother could wait until the estate was ready to be wound up to receive their inheritances.
Publication: Parent-Child Guide Book, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville
Volume 15 Number 1 Fall 2013
I recently met with Richard (not his real name) in my law office in Stittsville (Ottawa) to review his estate planning. In the course of our discussions, he explained that close to a year ago, he had received a letter from his uncle’s lawyer. It said that he was a beneficiary of his uncle’s estate. He still hadn’t received any of his inheritance. As Richard knew I also worked with executors, he asked if I might know what could be taking so long.
Many of my clients who have met with me recently at my law office in Ottawa have been downright giddy at the fact that back to school time is fast approaching. As the children head back to the hallowed halls of learning, I thought it was a good time to bring to you what we consider at our Ottawa law office to be the ABC’s of estate planning:
If you are thinking of leaving money to one or more minor (under 18) children, you may be facing an issue similar to that of a client of our Ottawa firm. Trudy (not her real name) met with me last week in my office in Ottawa near Stittsville. Trudy never married and had no children. However, she was a fond aunt to her sister’s two children whom she adored. She’d always been very close to them. Trudy decided that if something happened to her, she’d want her estate to go her two nieces to help them to get a good education and get started in life.
At my law office in the Kanata-Stittsville area of Ottawa, Ontario, I recently met with Mildred and her daughter, Theresa (not their real names). Mildred is a long-time client of mine and we had talked about her estate planning several times over the years. Theresa, who lives on the west coast, was visiting her mother who was celebrating her 80th birthday. Mildred’s other daughter, Karen, lives in Florida.
Mildred admitted that she had fallen a few times recently. Although she was currently living on her own, Mildred knew that before too long she’d have to consider moving to a long term care facility. Because she was worried about qualifying for long term care, she thought she should transfer her property to one or both of her daughters or add one or both as co-owners. Like many seniors, Mildred thought that if she sold her condo to move to a long term care facility, having all that money from the sale would mean she couldn’t qualify for long-term care in Ontario.
