A Living Trust holds the legal title to the property that is legally yours. This Living Trust helps keep it out of your “estate” that automatically goes on probate after your death. The Living Trusts have a plan of distribution that in many cases is implemented with ease and attracts lower cost in comparison to a probated estate. If you avoid the probate, your heirs will be spared the expenses open to the public probate process that may be quite cumbersome. A Living Trust also enables you to have flexibility in providing long term tax benefits for your family or beneficiaries. The assets under the Living Trust are then distributed evenly without court intervention and management. There could be multiple trusts after your death that help support your spouse and also provide for your kids and local charities. These trusts can also provide financial support to many generations in a family.

A Durable Power of Attorney on the other hand is someone that can act on your behalf and take decisions in respect of your personal, financial and business affairs in case you are incapacitated. It is also known as the “Springing” Power of Attorney as this individual springs into action only when you become incapable of managing your own affairs. You can fit a document with special powers that enable you to transfer powers to the “Attorney in fact”. These powers include signing of cheques, paying bills, opening and closing financial accounts along with handling tax matters and selling property on your behalf. A Durable Power of Attorney also can manage your retirement plans and provide continuity in the management of your affairs when you are not in a position to manage them due to failing health or a certain injury caused by or due to an accident.

Victor Opara

A Durable Power of Attorney is a critical piece of an estate plan for wealthy clients with life insurance policies. This legal document enables the power holder or the attorney to carry out specific legal and financial transactions for the physically unfit person. It is crucial that a wealthy individual with an estate plan follows up with a planned program that carries on till the death of the owner. The insured person needs to gift money to the life insurance company, so that the trustee can pay policy premiums every year till death. The Durable Power of Attorney document enables the family members of the old individual to help carry out several functions. These are:

1. The power to acquire life insurance on the lives of other family members as the granter of the Durable power in whom he or she has an insurable interest
2. The power to retain investments and change and make alterations in the investments as owned by the estate owner
3. The power to invest in variable and fixed annual investments such as bonds, stocks and mutual funds. The power holder is the sole person who decides what he wants to invest in terms of money market accounts or cash.
4. The Durable Power of Attorney also allows the person to exchange, sell and convey a property owned by the grantor of this power.
5. With the Durable Power of Attorney, you can also compromise and settle a legal dispute against the grantor or even for him.
6. You can also have the power to gift and make gratuitous transfers to a spouse, descendants and other charitable institutions.

In order to execute a Durable Power of Attorney, you need to have the right mental capacity to execute and formalize the document in the first place. This mental capacity is the same that is required when executing a will. In case you would like to know more about a Durable Power of Attorney Document, please visit us at hwww.notarizers.ca or call us at 416-782-5926.

Victor Opara

When the person is capable and doing well he has the right to assign a family member or a close friend as one of their powers of attorney. This is done, so that if due to any reason the person becomes incapable, the granted attorney can act on his behalf.

It is a necessity that the attorney works in the best interest of the incapable. Attorneys are trustworthy and are regarded as fiduciaries by the court of law. It is very difficult for the court to remove the power of attorney as it interferes with the choice of the person when fully capable.

Out of some reason and due to uncertainties, a family member or a close friend can apply to the court for being appointed as the power of attorney. As per the laws, the action taken to remove an assigned power of attorney depends on these two factors:

• If there is a strong and compelling evidence of the misconduct or negligence on the part of the attorney.
• If the best interests of the incapable person is not being served by the attorney.

When Can The Court Remove The Attorney?

1. If the above mentioned factors are not being met by the assigned power of attorney, a family member or the person wanting to take the responsibility can appeal to the court to remove the attorney from action.

2. Sometimes it is observed that a party becomes very hasty in submitting the removal application. This procedure is quite tasking because challenging an attorney for property without full evidence might not turn out to be in the favor of the applicant.

3.The procedure turns out to be quite expensive and might turn out to become a big fight.

4. In order to avoid this situation from occurring, it is advisable that whenever you are granting the right of your property to someone else, check and verify if he is really capable as well as trustworthy in handling the duties and responsibilities.

Victor Opara

Dying without a Will as per the law means that you have died “intestate”. Under this circumstance, the court acts as an estate administrator to first settle any dues remaining of the deceased and then dividing the remaining assets equally among your family members.

Property Division after You Die Without A Will

• If you are married but have no children, then your property is inherited by your spouse.
• In case you have a spouse as well as children, then according to the law, your spouse is entitled to the maximum share of your assets and the rest gets divided among your children.
• If you are not married, then your assets get inherited by your parents.
• If you have children, but no spouse, then your asset is equally divided among them.
• If there is no living kin in your family, then all the assets go to the government for them to use it for the benefit of the country.

There are a few problems that might arise if you die without a will.

Problems That Can Arise

• If you die without a Will, then it creates a huge problem for your family, as your assets are divided as per the law that might not be what you had expected.
• Time, as well as the expenses involved in solving the matter, may harass your family members.
• The court appoints a representative to take care of your property. For your family member to become that personal representative, he must acquire the Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustees without a Will.

Thus, it can be concluded that making a Will of your estate is a necessity so that your loved ones are not kept away from their right to own your property and assets.

Victor Opara

If due to any circumstances you have to let your child travel alone or with another person or just one of the parents, then writing a consent letter will be of great help. Here, are a few tips that will help you to write the child travel consent letter.

1. Be Clear About The Reason Of The Letter

A consent letter does not necessarily have to be long. But, it must contain information about who is writing the consent to whom and regarding what issue. Use a simple and direct language, in order not to complicate the situation.

2. Include Specific Details of The Child

When writing the consent letter for your child to travel alone or with one of the parent, it needs to feature all the specific details of your child that includes the full name, date of birth, place of birth, passport number, date of issue of passport and the place of issue of the passport. If your child is traveling completely alone, then consent from both the parents is required.

3. Give The Details Of The Person Accompanying Your Child

The letter should also contain the details of the person accompanying the child. This includes the full name of the assigned person and important passport details.

4. State The Name Of The Person Your Child Will Be Living With

It is very important for the government to assure that the child will be staying in the foreign country with someone authorized. This requires you to provide the full name, address, phone number and fax number of that person.

5. Get The Letter Stamped By A Notary

To have an official stamp or seal on the consent letter makes it look professional and verifies its accuracy. This removes the chances of any doubt to occur during the travel.These tips will certainly help you to write the consent letter for your child so that your child can travel without getting any problems with the officials in the airport.

Victor Opara

If you have been appointed as the power of attorney for the person who is now incapable of taking care of his property and personal assets, then you should abide by the rules and take up your duties. Here, are the few things that you need to keep in mind when acting under as a power of attorney for property.

1. The Scope OF The Attorneyship

When a granter provides the attorney with full responsibilities of his property and personal assets, this means that the attorney gets the power of taking any decision regarding the property as well as can be a part of the financial decision making. However, taking a decision on the Will of the granter is not allowed

2. Duties Involved

An attorney is known to be a fiduciary to the granter; this requires the attorney to work in the good faith of the person who has given him the rights. The decisions made should be considered to be of the best interests of the incapable. He needs to be diligent with the duty and think of the responsibilities as one of his.

3. Compensation

It is important to know that being an attorney of a property entitles you to a reasonable compensation that is fixed by a Regulation to the Substitute Decisions Act. A compensated attorney is considered to be of a higher level than a non-compensated attorney.

4. Be Effective

Before taking your responsibilities to act as an attorney to the property of the incapable person, he/she should carefully read the Power Of Attorney. If unclear of any point stated in it, consulting the lawyer will be a great idea. Thus, in order to act effective, it is important to note that the granter has not assigned any other attorney to fulfill his responsibilities.

5. Resignation Option

The task of an attorney is not that simple. Sometimes, a person might not want to act as an attorney, so in this case, obtaining legal assistance to resign from this position is recommended. Following these tips, an attorney can carry out his duties and responsibilities on behalf of the granter.

Victor Opara

If your child’s passport is about to expire, then getting it renewed as soon as possible is highly recommended. Here, are the 5 most important things that you should know when re-issuing your child’s passport

Processing Time

The usual time of processing of the renewal of your child’s passport is around 20 working days, starting from the day of assessment of the fully completed form.

Validity Of The Passport

The maximum validity time for a child’s Canadian passport is 5 years.

Best Time For Submitting The Application Form

There are three cases under which you can submit an application for the renewal of your child’s passport.

• If the current passport has expired or is about to expire in about a year.
• If all the pages in the passport are full.
• If you want to replace the current passport with the new e-passport.

Documents Required

• Original copy of the birth certificate with the details of the parents included.
• Proof of being a Canadian citizen.
• The most recent passport that have expired.
• Two copies of passport photos that requires to be signed by the guarantor.
• Original and photocopies of both the parents government issued ID card.
• If your child is adopted, then all the documents that refers to the custody, mobility or access to the child should be submitted.
• Receipt of the non refundable processing fee.
• A copy of the filled application form.

Ways Of Submitting The Application

You can submit the form either by posting it, by dropping the mail at the passport office, or by applying in person by walking into the passport office closest to you. Abiding by these steps will allow you to complete the reapplication of your child’s Canadian passport, and give your child the right to be able to travel around.

Victor Opara

Are you considering having a will for your estate? If yes, then choosing the right executor will help you in many ways. An executor is a person who is given the responsibilities of taking care of your property and distributing the assets among your loved ones upon your death. So, selecting a capable executor will help you worry less about the happiness of your loved ones once you are gone.

Before considering how to choose an executor it is very important to understand who to choose. It has been seen that many individuals opt for choosing their dear ones as their executor, but instead it is important to choose the one who is competent enough to deal with your assets and its division.

Duties of An Executor

• One of the main duties of an executor is to get to know everything about your assets. This includes keeping a list of all banks, brokerage and retirement accounts. The executor should also keep an inventory of your personal valuables.

• It is very important for the executor to manage the estate perfectly. This means that he would be required to pay out any outstanding funds that the deceased might have left over. He should also be well informed about any payment due to the deceased, which he could then divide among the beneficiaries.

• Moreover, an executor is required to file the appropriate tax return to make payments of any due estate taxes.

• The executor will be required to prove to the probate court about all the due payments that have been made to the potential creditors.

• Last but not the least, after settling all these issues the executor will have to distribute the assets to its heirs as per the will of the deceased.

Judging a person on the basis of the capability to handle all these duties will help you to choose the perfect executor for your estate.

Victor Opara

It is a legal document that gives a person power on behalf of another person. In Canadian law, this person is usually called the “attorney”. Unlike U.S. law, in Canadian law “attorney” does not mean “lawyer”.

Power of attorney can be divided into two classes:

Power of attorney for personal care: A document that enables you to take personal decisions regarding someone or something, that is not a property, like where you will live, medical care, to name someone etc. It is usually given to someone to make decisions on behalf of the giver when the giver becomes incapable of making decisions relating to his health and care.

Power of attorney for property: This power is vested to someone whom you want to manage your property, tangible or intangible, if you feel you are unable to maintain your property. Though this power of attorney will vest no right to take personal decisions like power of attorney for personal care.

In times of emergency, you seek to distribute your power to the one you trust. If you don’t your property might face odds and hence damages. Thus it is advisable to transfer the power to someone who can manage your property via power of attorney for property in Ontario.

While making a power of attorney for property, you need to make sure of the following things:

• How much power you want to give to your attorney?
• Do you want to limit the scope of your attorney’s power? If yes, to what extent?
• Check and be sure of the valid period of such power of attorney.
• Make sure the power of attorney is in force from the time you stated.
• If you want, you can give continuing power to your attorney, who must be 18+ years and of full mental capacity.

Before granting continuing power to someone, make sure you have taken care of the following:

• Have an approximation of your property value.
• Stay aware about the fact of who is financially dependent on you.
• Be sure of the authority you are vesting your attorney with.
• Be sure of your rights, such as your right to revoke the power of attorney whenever you want if you are mentally capable of doing so.
• Understand the risk of misuse of power before signing such power of attorney.

If you are thinking where to get the power of attorney for property prepared in Ontario, then Notarizers is the place for you. We have the finest of law professionals who will take care of all your legal rights and will give you a service that serves the best of your interest, in the most affordable way. Get more information about us by logging into our website or calling 416-782-5926.

Victor Opara

Marriages are made in heaven. You never know what’s on the cards and when you might fall in love and tie the knot. You don’t even know where you will find that person. It might happen so that you visit Canada and meet your soul-mate. Will you not get married? Will that marriage be legally valid in Canada?

Overseas Marriage of Canadian Citizen is Deemed To Be Legal and Valid if They Meet the Following :

• The marriage is a valid marriage under the laws of the foreign land where it took place.
• The marriage has same binding legal validity if it occurred in Canada.

In most foreign countries you need to have a foreign marriage certificate to get the permission of such marriage and thus you have the foreign marriage certificate of Non- Impediment. However in Canada you need no such certificates although for safety you can apply for “Statement In-Lieu of Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage Abroad”.

Each Application Must be Accompanied by the Following Valid Marriage Legal Documents:

• Certified copy of your birth-certificate.
• If you are a person who was born outside Canada, then you need to submit the documents of Canadian citizenship and also the record of your landing form.
• You have to give a statutory declaration regarding your present marital status.
• You need to declare the name and the ID proofs of your future spouse.
• You also need to provide certified copy of birth certificate and record of landing form if any, and citizenship card of your future spouse.
• If you are a divorced person then submit your divorce certificate or divorce judgement.
• In case you are a widowed person you need to submit the death certificate of your deceased spouse.

Registration of your marriage and all its legal documents are necessary for having a proper legal effect in Canada. Thus you will after marriage return to Canada and register it with the Canadian domestic law for proper legal validation of your marriage.

Law is very difficult, and it involves loads of specialised ways to give a certain thing its legal effect & validation. When it comes to your marriage you need to be completely sure that all the procedures are done in the proper way.

For this you need to hire legal professionals who will give you the best legal aid. If you are wondering where you can get it in the right price in Canada then Notarizers is the place for you. To know more about us, just visit www.notarizers.ca

Victor Opara