We help families and business owners maximize their net worth. When it comes to estate preservation, it’s highly important that your heirs receive as much of your estate as possible. Tax bills after death may force heirs to sell assets, but proper planning can offset this burden. By increasing liquidity and implementing sound tax and estate planning strategies, future estate tax liabilities can be handled properly.
• They ensure your assets are distributed as you see fit.
• They help reduce estate taxes and expenses, and simplify the transfer of assets to your spouse or the next generation.
• They allow you to think about how you can make the most of your assets during your lifetime and how they can be used to help others after your death.
Estate and legacy planning involve a variety of actions:
• Determining how much of your wealth you want to pass down during your lifetime.
• Deciding the most appropriate ways to transfer your wealth.
• Considering how family circumstances may impact the distribution of wealth.
• Learning how insurance can be used to provide a tax-free lump sum for family members or a favourite charity.
• Drafting or reviewing and updating your will.
• Discussing tax-efficient strategies that can be used to transfer your wealth.
Estate planning can get complicated, so it’s essential to consult us.
We can work with you to help you determine your objectives and then plot a course of action to ensure you can achieve your goals.
Most people know they should have an up-to-date will. Far fewer actually do. A recent CIBC/Ipsos poll found that while 94% of Canadians believe everyone should have a will, only 52% actually have one — and just 29% have a complete estate plan in place. The gap between "I know I should" and "I've actually done it" is where families end up exposed.
It's an uncomfortable thing to plan for, which is exactly why it gets put off. But without a current will, the right powers of attorney, and a clear plan for what happens to your assets, the decisions about your family, your business, and everything you've built get handed to a court process and provincial default rules — not to the people you'd have chosen.
So the real question isn't whether an estate plan matters — with only half of Canadians having a will, the numbers make that clear. The question is whether you want to be one of the families with a plan already in place, or one of the families figuring it out during a crisis.
A proper estate plan is more than a will. Here's what tends to matter most:
Life changes — marriage, divorce, new children, a business sale — and a will written years ago may no longer reflect your wishes or your family. Reviewing it regularly is as important as having one in the first place.
A will only takes effect after death. Powers of attorney for property and personal care determine who makes decisions for you if you're unable to make them yourself — a gap many people overlook entirely.
For blended families, minor children, or business owners, a straightforward will often isn't enough. Trusts and estate freezes can control how and when assets pass on, and reduce the tax bill your estate faces.
How your assets are structured — jointly held property, named beneficiaries, corporate holdings — has a direct effect on probate costs and the taxes your estate pays. Small structural changes now can meaningfully reduce that bill later.
Your will, your powers of attorney, your beneficiary designations, and your broader financial plan all need to point in the same direction. We coordinate directly with your lawyer and accountant so nothing falls through the cracks between documents.
When you work with us, here's what that looks like in practice:
Only half of Canadians have a will. Make sure you're not one of them.
Book a free, no-obligation conversation and find out exactly where your estate plan stands today.
Book Your Free 20-Minute MeetingSee how this plays out in practice
Read an illustrative case study on equalizing an estate when one child runs the family business.
Read the Scenario →This page provides general educational information and is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Individual circumstances vary — book a meeting to discuss your specific situation, and consult a lawyer for your legal documents.
