Estate Planning

Estate Planning

You have devoted yourself to providing for your family and saving for a comfortable retirement, but have you also planned for what would happen if you were no longer around to take care of things?

You have devoted yourself to providing for your family and saving for a comfortable retirement, but have you also planned for what would happen if you were no longer around to take care of things?
 
While there are a number of legitimate 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, estate size or the complexity of your situation, you need to be able to answer some basic questions with certainty:

 

• Would your spouse be financially secure and could your family maintain its standard of living if you were to die?
 
• Where practical, have you organized your affairs to minimize the impact of income taxes and other estate costs?
 
• Will your estate be distributed as you intend? That is, are the instructions in your Will consistent with the way you have organized your affairs and registered your assets?
 
• If you were to become mentally and/or physically incapacitated, do you have Powers of Attorney or, in Quebec, a Mandate to protect your finances and manage your personal care?

 

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you owe it to yourself and to the members of your family to prepare for the possibility that you may not always be around to take care of them.

Steve and James are both Professional Financial Planners.  We also work with our Accountants, Planners and Lawyers who only spend their time Financial and Estate Planning.  Regardless of your wealth, they have navigated simple and complex Financial, Tax and Estate issues. We usually engage their expertise and experience to create a thorough and complete Plan or “Road Map” based on your particular situation.  The breadth and depth of their knowledge offers ongoing invaluable insights and our team is there to quarterback throughout the entire process.