Estate Planning

Often members of the public think that their estate needs are met simply by creating a will and holding assets jointly. What they do not realize is the many other tools available to them in the financial and legal fields, and advice sought in one field does not guarantee information flowing on tools used in the other. Uniquely, this book arms the general public with the knowledge to make intelligent choices among the many tools in both fields.

In a simple and entertaining style, Kevin Wark delivers an important message - anyone who has something of value needs an estate plan, and sooner rather than later! Today, the majority of baby boomers are entering their retirement years. They have not only accumulated significant assets during their lifetimes, but also stand to receive meaningful inheritances. Now is the time for them to consider strategies to protect and increase their wealth - for their peace of mind as well as their families. The Essential Canadian Guide to Estate Planning will help younger and older generations alike get their estate plans in order. Readers will learn about planning for retirement; wills, trusts and powers of attorney;probate planning;charitable gifting;family law and special needs dependents;the role of life insurance; and business transition strategies. Featuring numerous case studies, worksheets, index and a glossary of terms, The Essential Canadian Guide to Estate Planning is an indispensable and painless guide in the journey towards greater peace of mind.

Stepping Lightly Around the Pitfalls of Estate Planning... Estate planning is one of those unpleasant but really important tasks. Unfortunately, the process is not only hard to get started, it is then easy to make mistakes. Even the most careful and well-intentioned person can slip up along the way. Avoid the pitfalls! The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes outlines the major mistakes and their consequences in an entertaining way-and then proceeds to tell you exactly how to avoid these mistakes. Delivering practical and helpful information in a light tone, the authors help to make these sometimes difficult conversations a little easier. The book's fifty concise chapters are filled with real-life examples, organized under four key areas of mistakes: The biggest mistake of not planning at all Failing to plan for the possibility of mental incompetency Mistakes made during the estate planning process itself And common mistakes made by executors Written by personal finance and estate planning experts, Jean Blacklock and Sarah Kruger, The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes and How To Avoid Them is an essential guide for Canadians interested in planning their estates effectively, with minimal stress on their loved ones.

An essential resource to help you plan your estate and protect your assets Praise for previous editions of The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning: “The authors have done a masterful job....This is a shelf reference every Canadian taxpayer and every Canadian family should have.” –THE GLOBE AND MAIL “An informative, practical guide....The authors...cover all the bases.” –THE NATIONAL POST Established as the go-to source of expert guidance, The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning will save you money, taxes, risk, stress, and maintain peace of mind and family harmony. Completely updated to reflect the latest tax changes and with new information on charitable giving, including the donation of certain kinds of life insurance policies, this new edition explains practical strategies to: • Avoid classic pitfalls, family feuds, and spousal disputes • Minimize or avoid income, probate, and capital gains taxes • Protect your digital assets • Astutely deal with vacation properties, U.S. assets, and privately-owned businesses

The world has gone digital and so have our clients’ estates. Digital assets may simply be electronic records, but they are the digital gateway to our lives. They are our memories, our money, and our records, making technology the new player at the estate planning table. The Digital Executor®: Unraveling the New Path for Estate Planning arms estate advisors, business owners, service providers, and the broader estate and technology industries with heightened awareness of client expectations regarding their digital estates. Everyone needs a will and in today’s age of digitization, estate plans must include your client's digital life. This book is a primer for understanding a client’s personal use case when navigating estate management in the digital age with introductions to technology and the underlying aspects and differences between digital asset classes. With technology being the new player at the client’s estate planning table, estate advisors must be educated, motivated, and prepared, adapting policies and processes for operating in the digital world. Equally, technology and service providers must align with the stars to be integrated partners in estate industry conversations. Sharon’s first book, Your Digital Undertaker: Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada, was about digital assets in the context of an individual’s or client’s estate planning life cycle. This follow-up book, Digital Executor®: Unraveling the New Path for Estate Planning is about digital assets in the context of the estate industry. This book draws the reader into the world of estate planning with a digital twist, bringing together how the global estate industry, technology and service providers must address client expectations about their digital assets and the implications of the changing role of the fiduciary/executor. To understand the role of digital assets in the estate industry, we must first understand technology, the client’s user context, and the changing role of the estate advisor. From an estate industry perspective, if today’s executor is a digital executor and today’s fiduciary is a digital fiduciary, then today’s advisor must be a digital advisor.

Most Americans donÆt have a will. They avoid estate planning because they donÆt want to think about death or they think itÆs too complicated. But this easy-to-follow guide takes the mystery out of the process. This book shows readers how easy it can be to plan for security and peace of mind. Readers learn how to write a will, create an estate plan, designate executors, choose trusts, reduce tax liabilities, and distribute their assets. Other features include: A glossary of legal terms Advice for protecting families from creditors Guidance for unmarried partners The important role of charitable giving in your estate plan This book provides sound advice for planning retirement and managing assets at any age and income level. It also includes completely new information on: Updated tax, IRA, and Roth details Charitable giving opportunities for reducing taxes and leaving a legacy Instruction for keeping plans up to date as the readers age An estate planning checklist

Estate planning has more procrastination, indecision, and inertia associated with it than any other area of planning. Affluent baby boomers, in particular, as the beneficiaries of the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, have a daunting set of financial concerns with which to contend. Here at last is a step-by-step approach to estate planning that equips planners and financial advisors to help clients tackle this important process once and for all. Most clients understandably find planning concepts and strategies confusing, but most also have a fairly sound understanding of who and what is most important to them. These are the priorities from which to build the foundation of a successful estate plan. The seven principles explored in this book use personal values as a basis to form The Legacy Planning System. With this approach, advisors can: * Help clients discover and solidify their deepest values, convictions, and objectives relative to their money * Help clients express those values and objectives in a clearly written Family Financial Philosophy mission statement * Serve as the team leader in advising clients and clients other advisors on how to use the mission statement to direct the planning process Clarifying your clients priorities and personal goals will enable you, as a trusted advisor, to simplify the planning process for clients, ensure their lifetime financial independence, and help them control their ultimate family and social capital legacies. Confronting issues of family dynamics, taxes, and financial situations not to mention accepting one s own mortality is difficult for many people. In addition, since estate planning often requires a shift in ownership of assets, clients feel an unsettling loss of privacy and control over their financial resources. Help your clients to overcome these obstacles and achieve their highest financial and philanthropic aspirations. They ll thank you for generations to come. Praise for Values-Based Estate Planning "Scott Fithian s book provides planning professionals with new insights into the estate planning process. Most importantly, he stresses the individual and family benefits of philanthropy through the concept of social capital which should be a key element to the planner s inventory of client questions."--Charles W. Collier, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Harvard University "This exceptional book empowers planners with a well- organized roadmap to lead wealthy clients to implementation of an estate plan expressing the clients own values. Scott Fithian s Legacy Planning System focuses the advisor on the critical importance to the estate planning process of helping clients identify and articulate their values and objectives. This useful volume makes those ideas available to a much broader audience, while broadening the subject with illustrations of effective employment of the methodology he has developed."--David Wheeler Newman, JD, LLM, Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP "Fithian s view of the complete person helps the advanced advisor avoid the typical limitations (hazards) of planning for wealthy families. The easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow methods help determine in-depth values of the client s total financial goals. His methods result in cementing valuable relationships with the most prized clients. Critical reading for CPAs, attorneys, insurance agents, or other advisors." & mdash;Jessica M. Bibliowicz, President and CEO, National Financial Partners "Scott s wealth optimization system is truly revolutionary. For the first time, affluent clients and their advisors can rely on a fully integrated system that spans all phases of wealth accumulation, management, and transfer over time. An outstanding reference!"--Robert Keys, The Private Client Group