Estate Planning
In Canada there is no inheritance tax — but there is a final tax return, and it can be the largest one of your life. Planning decides who pays it: your family, or the plan you put in place.
RRSP / RRIF Estate Planning
Registered accounts are deregistered in full on the second death and taxed as income in that year — often at the top rate. We calculate the exposure and fund it deliberately.
- Spousal rollover elections and successor annuitant
- Projecting the final-return tax bill
- Planned drawdown to smooth the liability
- Beneficiary designations reviewed against the will
Life Insurance Estate Planning
A permanent policy pays tax-free, on time, exactly when the estate needs cash — so the cottage, the rental property or the business does not have to be sold in a hurry to pay CRA.
- Joint last-to-die coverage to fund the final tax bill
- Equalizing inheritances between children
- Charitable giving and legacy gifts
- Corporate policies and the capital dividend account
Ontario's estate administration tax applies to assets flowing through the will. Insurance and segregated funds with a named beneficiary generally do not.
Probate can take months. A named beneficiary is typically paid in weeks — which matters when there is still a mortgage due.
We are not lawyers or accountants. We coordinate with yours — or refer you to trusted ones in the GTA.
