I love my dogs and I’m sure anyone who loves animals would say their pets are part of the family. So, of course you want to make sure your pet would be taken care of if something happened to you. Can you give property or money directly to your pet in your Will? No, you […]
We sometimes get requests to prepare corporate wills for clients. Depending on the context, someone could actually mean a few different things when they talk about a corporate will. In other provinces with high probate fees, a secondary will (the “corporate” will) may be created to deal with a person’s business assets to avoid probate […]
A new law is being proposed that would make every adult in Alberta an organ and tissue donor automatically unless they opt out. Our current system requires organ donors to opt-in. The proposed law, the Human Tissue and Organ Donation (Presumed Consent) Amendment Act, passed first reading last week in the Alberta Legislature. The Human […]
Drafting Wills is technical and requires specialized knowledge, not only about the common law and legislation directly addressing Wills, but also property law, family law, tax law, and trusts. Every once in a while we see a DIY Will from a Wills kit, online DIY Will service, or one that is entirely handwritten by the […]
Hudson Law was featured in a recent blog post by the amazing Jessica Janzen talking about the importance of having a Will. Read the full post here. We really have the best clients! Getting a Will, Enduring Power of Attorney and Personal Directive is so important for your family. Just ask Jess: “I wanted the […]
What happens if your Executor dies? Did you know it’s possible for a stranger to end up handling your estate? You’re probably thinking, “That can’t happen – I have a Will!” If the person you named in your Will to handle your estate (called your “Executor”) dies and you haven’t appointed a backup, your Executor’s […]
While there is no estate tax in Canada, there is a deemed disposition tax which is similar to estate tax. When someone passes away, he/she is considered to have sold all of his/her assets at fair market value (ie, a “deemed disposition” of his/her assets) and is taxed accordingly on any gains. There are certain […]
Wills and estate planning become much more complex if you are in a blended family situation, or if you are going through a divorce or separation. In this post, “blended family” is used to describe a family consisting of a couple and their children from this relationship and all previous relationships. Child and Spousal Support […]
Oh my gosh you guys-I just filled out the Wills and Estates forms and let me tell you…that is not an easy thing to do. It only took me about 15 minutes (I helped Ben make the forms so already knew what it was asking) but I left a couple things blank because things got […]