Estate Tax

Why We Created the Estates and Trusts Group at B’nai Brith

Some 17 years ago I approached Frank Dimant, the then CEO of B’nai Brith with an idea. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be part of the continuing legal education process for accountants and lawyers servicing our community? At that point in time there were few programs around that brought in first-tier professionals at a kosher venue that address both issues of interest from both a Jewish and secular law prospective.
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How Disgruntled Beneficiaries Might attack an Estate Freeze

There is an interesting piece in this week’s CJN. It is about the CLE B’Nai Brith Seminar on May 30, 2018, and features prominent accountants and lawyers who are presenters at this seminar. They are Clare Burns, Craig Vander Zee, Jonathan Hames, Jordan Atin, Melanie Yach, Nikolay Chserbinin and our own Brendan Donovan.
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Mediation and the Deemed Disposition

Experienced lawyers prepare for mediation by exploring how estate assets can be divided on a tax efficient basis. Why? Because as a general rule, the bigger the net amount of the estate the better chance at achieving a settlement as there is more money to divide between the litigants. Woe unto the lawyer who advises a client to accept a settlement without advising the net amount to be received after deduction of tax. That is why people who specialize in tax are often consulted prior to mediation.
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When is an Estate Trustee Obligated to Make an Interim Distribution?

Upon someone’s demise a personal representative is appointed. That appointment may come about through a testamentary document or by court order if there is an intestacy. The personal representative has two roles. He or she is responsible for collecting all the assets and paying the liabilities of the deceased. Thereafter, he/she must distribute the estate in accordance with the terms of the will, or if applicable, the laws of intestacy, or, if elected by the surviving spouse, under the entitlement provisions found in section 5 of the Family Law Act.
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Estate Administration Tax – The British Are Coming!!

My expertise is not tax. But the changes are so important to solicitors who do estate planning and administration, as well as to people of means, that I felt it important to help raise awareness about what is going on. So to prepare this blog, I reached out to my colleagues who have expertise in this area. The ensuing research revealed additional changes in estates and tax laws that will have a significant impact on both practitioners and persons of means.
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