Donna Neff's Law Blog
June 20th, 2011
Lazy days by the lake, casual dinners on the deck, and cozy nights by the bonfire – the stuff that memories are made of. After a long, cold winter, cottage season has finally arrived and is undoubtedly in full swing. Although most of us own our own home, many of us share family cottages with siblings or perhaps jointly own a cottage with a few close friends. Whatever your specific situation, if you planning to or already share ownership of a cottage with others, consider the importance of having all the owners negotiate and sign a cottage agreement. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Cottages and Estate Planning | Comments Off
June 1st, 2011
An estate plan needs to be tailored to the specific circumstances of the individual for whom it is created. There is definitely no ‘one size fits all’ in the world of estate planning! Some of the most complicated situations are those involving second marriages (or common law relationships), particularly where each partner has children from previous relationships and assets in his or her own name as well as assets owned jointly by the two of them.
We find that spouses often want an estate plan that considers the financial needs of the surviving spouse as well as ensuring his or her own children benefit. For example, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Avoiding Probate, Estate Planning, Joint Assets | Comments Off
May 20th, 2011
Perhaps influenced by ‘reading of the Will’ scenes in movies, clients often come to us with the idea that they will give away their estates asset by asset; for example, the house to their son, the cottage to their daughter, a bank account to a cousin, the car to a friend — you get the idea. There are exceptions, of course, but generally it is not a good idea to Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Avoiding Probate, Estate Planning | 1 Comment »
March 30th, 2011
The American Bar Association’s annual TECHSHOW is fast approaching! This year’s not-to-be missed silver jubilee celebration will be held in Chicago from April 11 to 13, 2011. Continuing its tradition of bringing technology and lawyers together, this year’s show promises to be an information-packed, fun-filled event.
I am thrilled to be co-presenting a session entitled ‘BlackBerry Love’ along with Dan Pinnington of PracticePro. This session will celebrate all things BlackBerry. First, we will offer some tips and tricks for increasing your BlackBerry proficiency and making the most of your smartphone. For example, did you know you can Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Computer and Other Passwords, Conference/Seminar, Law Practice Management, Legal Services, Mobile Lawyer, Paperless Office, Tech Tips | Comments Off
March 9th, 2011
Clients often ask what can be done if their son or daughter with a disability expects to inherit from an older family member. For example, a grandparent wants to provide a token gift to all of the grandchildren or an aunt who has no children of her own decides to leave her entire estate to a niece with a disability.
If the child is receiving Ontario Disability Pension Plan (ODSP) benefits, having an inheritance left to the child could result in the loss of ODSP benefits. Unless the inheritance is so large that the child could manage without ODSP, consideration should be given to the options listed below Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Estate Planning, Person with a Disability, Registered Disability Savings Plans, Trusts | Comments Off
February 21st, 2011
Rollovers from one RRSP (or RRIF) to another RRSP
On the death of a parent or a grandparent, under certain conditions the RRSP or RRIF of the parent or grandparent may be rolled over to a child’s RRSP on a tax-deferred basis if the child is dependent due to a mental or physical disability, regardless of the age of the child. Generally speaking, a disabled child is considered to be “financially dependent” if the child’s income for the year preceding the year of death was less than $17,621 (for 2010).
Where the disabled child’s income exceeds the “financially dependent” threshold, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
January 20th, 2011
Mark your calendars, the American Bar Association’s annual TECHSHOW will be held April 11-13, 2011 in Chicago. This year marks TECHSHOW’s silver jubilee as it celebrates 25 years of bringing lawyers and technology together. As always, it promises to be an information-filled, not-to-be-missed event. Some of the exciting sessions include: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Conference/Seminar, Tech Tips | Comments Off
December 17th, 2010
I will pick up where I left off in my last blog and continue discussing the importance and advantages of proper estate planning.
Proper estate planning also allows you to plan appropriately for children under the age of 18, such as appointing guardians and deciding who should look after their assets. To ensure your young children do not receive their inheritance at age 18, you could include trusts so that a child’s share can be held to a later age when the child is more financially responsible. Similarly, you can make special provisions for beneficiaries with disabilities such as including special trusts which takes into account government benefits ensuring these are not lost.
Estate planning also allows you to: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Estate Planning | Comments Off
November 28th, 2010
Invariably, when people hear that I work in wills and estates, the immediate response is, “Oh, I really should get my Will done!” Sound familiar? Adults often become blasé or unwilling, for a variety of reasons, to ensure that they have up-to-date wills and powers of attorney. In this and my next blog, I hope to motivate and encourage you to ensure you’ve done your estate planning and have these documents in place.
Having these important documents in place is really about making it easier for those we love. Naturally, most of us would never intentionally cause undue stress for our families. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Estate Planning, Intestacy, Minor Children, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Power of Attorney for Property | Comments Off
November 4th, 2010
A discussion about legal fees can be awkward as many of us don’t like to discuss money. However, it is important to have an idea what a professional’s services may cost before the work begins. In this blog, we explore our approach to this sometimes uncomfortable but essential subject.
By the end of a client’s initial meeting with us to discuss having legal work done, such as the preparation of a will and powers of attorney, we are generally in a position to provide a block-fee quote for one or more options that may have been discussed. Depending upon the client’s circumstances, we may recommend more than one option and will provide a quote for each option. Where a client’s estate planning needs are complex due to the assets owned or the family or business situation, it may not be possible to quote a block-fee. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Law Practice Management, Legal Services | Comments Off
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