Estate and succesion planning can help maximize and preserve assets from unnecessary legal and tax costs, enhance provisions for your family and future generations, and ensure that your assets will be distributed according to your wishes. It can also play a crucial role in ensuring that you have greater control of your assets during your lifetime. I work with a BMO Nesbitt Burns Estate & Insurance Advisor, who can review your present situation , establish your objectives and concerns, identify potential problems or risks, examine and calculate tax consequences, develop and implement strategies, co-ordinate with their advisors, and monitor and update your plans as needed. Have you planned for what would happen if you were no longer here to take care of things? While there are a number of very human reasons for avoiding the issue – ranging from ‘I don’t have time’ to ‘it’s depressing’ – estate planning is too important to ignore. Regardless of your age, the size of your estate or the complexity of your situation, you need to be able to answer some basic questions with certainty.
If you were to die, would your spouse be financially secure? Could your family maintain their standard of living?
Where practical, have you organized your affairs to minimize the impact of income taxes and other estate costs?
Are you sure that your estate will be distributed as you intend? Are the instructions in your will consistent with the way you have organized your affairs and registered your assets?
If you become incapacitated prior to your death, do you have Powers of Attorney or, in Quebec, a Mandate to protect your finances and manage your personal care?
An estate plan forms a key component of your overall wealth management strategy. At BMO Nesbitt Burns our Investment Advisors have the knowledge and expertise to guide you through the estate planning process.