If you have any comments, send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com or call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985 or leave a comment on our blog.

If you have any comments, send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com or call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985 or leave a comment on our blog.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

This week on Hull on Estate and Succession Planning, Ian and Suzana discuss delegation issues that arise when dealing with Investment Accounts and address a listeners question about the family cottage.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

This week on Hull on Estates and Succession Planning, Ian and Suzana conduct a quick lesson on capital encroachment and discuss the role of investment accounts in the passing of accounts.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

He discusses the question of valuations and appraisals and how these affect estate mediation.

Comments? Drop us a line at 206-457-1985 or send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com.

They then wrap up their ongoing discussion about some useful steps to remember when administering an estate.

If you'd like to leave a comment, call us on our comment line at 206-457-1985 or leave us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com or you can visit our blog at estatelaw.hullandhull.com/

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

They have also been listening to and reading David Maister's new (audio)book Strategy and the Fat Smoker and continue their conversation on The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

Ian and Suzana discuss the importance of preparing for the death of a spouse or for the welfare of your spouse upon your death. This preparation includes having a good idea of the assets you share and the importance of appointing a guardian for your children.

Comments? Send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com, call us on the comment line at 206-457-1985, or leave us a comment on the Hull on Estate and Succession Planning blog.

They also introduce Malcolm Gladwell's book 'The Tipping Point' as a different way of understanding family behaviour at the time of death.

Within the context of estate litigation, Ian discusses a recent article he read in the June 6th edition of The Economist that considered the life of a New York City socialite, Brooke Astor, commonly known as Queen Brooke. Ian reviews the dramatic story of her life, and the litigation surrounding her loss of capacity and her second marriage.

They cover topics such as why a Power of Attorney is essential and what can happen if an incapable individual does not have a Power of Attorney in place, focusing on the Court Order process to obtain a Power of Attorney for property and/or personal care.

They also discuss the issue of duelling Powers of Attorney and the strategy of using Power of Attorney for limited purposes.

Ian and Suzana also touched on elder abuse and mentioned the helpful emergency hotline provided by the Public Guardian and Trustee at 1-800-366-0335.

They define the term, "Power of Attorney", and cover the responsibilities associated with this role. The steps to take if you decide to revoke your Power of Attorney are also discussed, as well as the regulations of the Substitute Decisions Act which sets out some of the duties involved in Power of Attorney

Ian and Suzana also discuss the strategy of using trusts to pass on assets in a controlled and managed way to desired beneficiaries.

They cover three important aspects to consider when reviewing your insurance policies, especially in a separated spouse situation, including the funding of support obligations, the designation of the policy's beneficiaries, and how the policy will be funded after death.

Ian and Suzana discussed the consequences of joint accounts for adult children, minor children and dependent adult children.

They cover many important aspects of a separation agreement that should be considered when turning your mind to estate planning, including joint assets, joint debts, property, and disability planning.

Suzana mentions the case of  A.A. v. B.B., 2007 ONCA 2 from the Ontario Court of Appeal, wherein a child may have three parents.

They cover such issues as tax liability, spousal support and child support deductability and the deductability of legal fees.

They discuss the impact that these separations have on estate planning including financial, tax and property ownership considerations.

They cover the advantages of integrating insurance policies into your estate plan focusing on disability insurance, critical care insurance and life insurance.

They also discuss the importance of including funeral arrangements in your Will, and the various Provincial approaches to the revocation of Wills after marriage and after a divorce.

They discuss administrative expenses surrounding trusts, the circumstances that lead to surviving spouse litigation, and methods for ensuring the balance between beneficiary designations. 

They cover a range of necessary Will provisions including:

1. The appointment of a guardian for your children;
2. How to deal with authority over your children's property and the Office of the Children's Lawyer
3. Avoiding the Corvette effect;
4. Common disaster clauses; and
5. US Estate taxes.

Ian and Suzana also discuss disability planning and the importance of naming a Power of Attorney for property and personal care.

The necessary processes are reviewed including getting a referral, answering questions regarding your specific needs and possessed assets, full disclosure, confidentiality and finally the importance of reviewing and signing your completed will. 

Ian and Suzana specifically discuss the legal effects of the domestic and family contract upon death and support considerations reviewing the Succession Law Reform Act, Section 62 and 63. 

 - the introduction and outline of process;

-  the importance of caucuses and break-out sessions;

- the necessity for flexibility in the agenda and the family constitution  to  allow for the addition and revision of issues; and 

- the importance of setting a future date if the family conference has not been concluded in one day.

- The steps that are followed during a Family Conference including:

- The need to do your "homework" before the Family Conference;

- Preparing an agenda for the Family Conference that is circulated to the members before the Family Conference;

- How to begin the Family Conference Meeting; and

- How the discussions during the Family Conference should be handled.

- dealing with different family issues in a global sense;

- the family cottage and/or "special properties";

- dealing with fairness issues;

- how to equalize the gifting of a cottage; and

- the grandchildren effect.

- special needs beneficiaries;

- what the definition of a special needs beneficiary is;

- the use of trusts for special needs beneficiaries; and

- the proper planning for special needs beneficiaries and what happens to the money/trust when the special needs beneficiary dies.