Our brother, Robert, was the oldest of three boys in our family. When he passed away, it felt like we had lost a leg of our tripod, a corner of our triangle. Committed to his family and friends, Robert was always willing to offer extra support during difficult times—like when his own family was touched by dementia. After witnessing the heartbreaking effects of the disease, Robert decided to leave a generous gift to the Alzheimer Society of Canada in his…
Follow us, as Elizabeth Murray tells the moving story of her mother’s battle with dementia. In this blog series, Murray explores every part of the experience of caring for someone with dementia, sharing her memories and insights from it all. Her words serve as a great reminder of the many ways dementia affects our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Moving my mother into a nursing home was a difficult decision. Executing that decision was even more difficult….
November is Make a Will month in Canada – and this is my sixth and final blog post here for the Alzheimer Society. I would like to thank them so much for this incredible opportunity. The work being done by the Alzheimer Society is incredible and so needed. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for this horrible disease. Now on to my post. The law in Ontario is pretty wide open with regards to giving gifts of property…
It’s Make a Will month. As guest blogger for the Alzheimer Society this month, my focus has been on – you guessed it – Wills. The importance of making a Will is clear. You get to choose who will get your property, who will be guardians of minor children, and who will manage the business of your estate. This planning is important to determine what will happen after you die. But what happens before you die? As the people at…
It is Make a Will month in Canada, and I am thrilled to be able to guest blog here on the Alzheimer Society of Ontario’s website. In a previous entry, I outlined the things you need to do to get ready to make your Will. One of the most important things you will do when you make your Will is to decide who will manage the business of settling up and closing your estate once you die – in other…
“When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer.” – Stevie Wonder Early in my career as a lawyer I had a client who called me because she wanted to make her Will and powers of attorney. I provided her with the information that she needed and asked her when she wanted to meet to give me instructions to prepare the Will. She told me she would get back to me. I put her on what I…
At the Alzheimer Society, we believe completing your Will and Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property makes you a Super Hero. Why? You are putting the needs of others before yourself and protecting what’s important. Death and taxes – two certainties? While working at Royal Trust as a Will and estate planner, many clients would sit in a chair across from me and blurt out … there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. For years,…
A few months ago, my cousin posted a wonderful video of my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The year was 1994. My grandfather gave a wonderful, heartfelt speech about what his wife meant to him. The family did skits making fun of the onion sandwich he ordered on their first date. There was even Karaoke. Good times. While the first 50 years of marriage were wonderful for my grandparents, the years that followed for them and for our family were extremely…
New Federal Estate Planning Legislation Make a Will Month (November) may be officially over, but this year we are still encouraging Ontarians to review their Estate plans because of new rules! On December 16, 2014, the Conservative government made amendments to the Income Tax Act, which impact the Will and estate planning process. Both amendments begin in 2016. Check your Will – you may need to take immediate action! Amendment – Charitable Gifts – Three year Graduated Rate Estate Right…