Writing Wills as a Couple: What You Need to Know Common Law Relationships & Wills Having a will is important for every couple, but this is especially true if you are in a common-law relationship. If you die without a will, you may end up leaving your common-law spouse with no claim to your assets….
Advance Serious Illness Planning: What is it and How Does it Work? What is Advance Care Planning? Advance care planning means putting a plan in place now so that, should you be seriously ill and not in a position to make decisions, your wishes will be honoured. Many people do not have an advance care…
Having Belongings Valued After a Death There is more to managing a loved one’s estate than dealing with bank accounts and property. There are also the smaller items around their home that may be valuable, such as jewelry, antique furniture, and collectibles. It can be hard to know where to start with items like this,…
Estate Planning for Digital Assets We live in the digital age, which means that more and more people have valuable or sentimental property that is stored entirely online or on a laptop. Many people do not think about how digital assets factor into estate planning, but keeping these assets in mind when creating your will…
How to Make Estate Administration Easier Leave a Will The first and most important step to making your estate administration easy is to create a will now, with the help of a lawyer. Leaving a will ensures an accurate picture of your wishes. It is important to have a lawyer assist you with your will…
What is Probate and Why Does it Matter? What is Probate? You’ve probably heard the term “probate” mentioned a lot in the context of wills and estates, but what does it actually mean? Probate is the legal process, after a person dies, of confirming that the deceased’s will is valid and that the finalizing of…
What is Estate Litigation? If, after a person passes away, there are major disputes over how the deceased’s estate should be divided and distributed, a party may pursue litigation to resolve the dispute. This can happen if beneficiaries and/or family members disagree on the legitimacy of the will or the deceased’s wishes. Estate litigation…
Estate planning is the process of planning for what will happen to your property and other assets after you pass away. This includes designating individuals to receive specific assets and to carry out certain responsibilities, such as acting as the executor of your will. Here is a brief summary of the most important things that…
Why Hire a Professional to Handle My Inheritance? When you pass away, your loved ones are going to be going through a difficult time no matter what. You cannot prevent your loved ones from feeling the sadness of your loss, but you can at least make the administrative aspect of your passing easier on them…
While you do not legally need a lawyer to prepare your will, there are a number of reasons why we highly recommend having your will prepared by a professional lawyer. Your Will Can’t Be Easily Contested If you have a will that was drawn up by a lawyer, it is much more difficult to…
