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The Estate Planning Process
Estate Planning Process

 by: News Canada

(NC) - How do I begin? Start by making a list of those you wish to remember in your Will. You will want to provide for your dependants first, but here is your chance to be creative. You can give a meaningful item to a favourite relative, honour a friend or arrange gifts to organizations and charities that you believe in and support.

Prepare a list of the names and addresses of all the people that you'd like to include in your Will. File this list in your Important Document File.

Accuracy in naming the individuals and organizations to whom you wish to leave money or property is most important when you make your Will. Your Will should leave no room for doubt. Identify each beneficiary clearly and precisely. Use care, various organizations may have almost identical names. Organizations will gladly supply you and your advisor(s) with all necessary information.

Decide upon an Executor or Co-Executors

One of a Will's important functions is to name an Executor (your personal representative) to settle your estate and carry out your Will's terms. Choose your Executor with care. You might wish to name co-Executors,

Our articles continue...

New York sues banks over electronic mortgage system (Reuters)
Reuters - New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday sued three major U.S. banks, accusing them of fraud for using an electronic mortgage database that resulted in deceptive and illegal practices.
NY's Schneiderman sues banks in foreclosure effort (AP)
AP - New York's attorney general on Friday accused some of the nation's largest banks of deceit and fraud in using an electronic mortgage registry that he said puts homeowners at a disadvantage in foreclosures.


one a family member, the other a lawyer, bank or trust company. The role involves filing tax returns, investing assets and valuing and selling (or retaining) property. The job of estate settlement includes submitting the Will for probate (proof of validity), safeguarding and inventorying all your assets and liabilities, paying your debts and taxes, and then distributing what is left as your Will directs.

One of your most important decisions is your choice of Executor. Even the best-laid plans will fail if the individual you select is not up to the job. An Executor should be:

  1. Trustworthy.

  2. Willing, and have the time to act.

  3. Impartial toward all beneficiaries.

  4. Able to make decisions in a timely fashion.

  5. Proficient in business, investment and administrative matters at a level sufficient to handle your estate.

  6. Knowledgeable and experienced in estate and trust law and administration.

  7. Ideally, your Executor should be younger than you

Tips

  • Name an alternate in case your Executor cannot act or dies before you

  • An Executor, whether an independent professional or a family member, is entitled to reasonable fee from the estate

  • Ask the person first to make sure they understand all the duties involved

If you do not have a Will, or if your Will has not been updated recently, perhaps it is time to meet with a lawyer and get the job done. Take the first step; call Ontario March of Dimes

toll-free at 1-800-263-3463 x 383 for a free copy of "My Personal Organizer" - a handy tool

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

Editors: These articles are for use in Ontario only




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<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><STRONG>Wi-Fi around Chicago..</STRONG></FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><FONT size=2>The Daley Center between Clark and Dearborn is&nbsp;now (as of September 2003) a wi-fi hot zone. I have not personally connected there, but the word is </FONT><FONT size=2>that the signal around Daley Plaza and Block 37 is strong. Click <A href="http://www.xchicago.com/main/article.php?articleID=413">here</A> for more information. </FONT></FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2>If you are outside of downtown Chicago,the UPS stores (formerly Mailbox Etc.)&nbsp;will have wi-fi access (for a fee) in mid-September as will many McDonalds (for a fee). <A href="http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,80914,00.html">UPS story</A></FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif><STRONG>Truth about Annuities</STRONG></FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>Many clients buy annuities. I think it is fair to say that most clients do not understand the annuities and, in many cases, the annuity purchase was an inappropriate choice. In my opininion annuities are appropriate when:</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>1. The client wants to save more for retirement and already puts the maximum in his or her IRA/401k; </FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>2. The client is in a high tax bracket and wants to reduce taxes;</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>3. The client won't need the principal for quite a long time and the annuity makes up a small portion of the client's total investments.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I have one client who paid no income tax, was 85 years old,&nbsp;had been retired for 20 years and purchased 4 annuities with all of her liquid assets;&nbsp; her only other assets, after the mass annuity purchases,&nbsp;were her condo and a checking account. The annuities were "unsuitable" for her, but were perfect for the annuity salesperson who netted at least $20,000 in commissions.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2>&nbsp;See the </FONT><A href="http://www.annuitytruth.org/"><FONT size=2>annuity truth</FONT></A><FONT size=2> web site for&nbsp;some&nbsp;interesting reading on annuities and whether one is right for you&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2><STRONG>What to Do if Your Mortgage Lender Bails Out on You</STRONG></FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>Recently, as interest reates rose and&nbsp;the number of files on their desks exploded to record levels, mortgage companies have bailed out on clients&nbsp;and failed to close. In two&nbsp;cases I am involved in (both of which are new construction) the mortgage companies literally "forgot" about the client. The loans were not ready to close because no one&nbsp;paid attention to the file for months. The other problem is that many lenders are so busy that they can't close by the end of the "lock-in" period. The client is left with a lame promise that the mortgage company will do a "free refinance" later to cure the problem.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>How can you prevent this? Pick a reputable lender in the first instance; not one from the internet or your brother-in-law who thought he would try out mortgage brokerage. Stay in touch with the lender. If all else fails, file a complaint with the office of banks and real estate. Here is the form to file the complaint:</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>&nbsp;</FONT><A href="http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf"><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2><a href="http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf">http://www.bre.state.il.us/CONSUMER/FORMS/c-Form41.pdf</a></FONT></A><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>It rarely pays to file a lawsuit against the lender. Attorneys fees are cost prohibitive and your damages are hard to prove.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></P>

Farm bill on the move as Senate hearings set
<div class="field-byline"> NAWG </div> The agriculture community took a number of important steps toward a 2012 Farm Bill, with commodity groups meeting in Washington to discuss the issues and the Senate Agriculture Committee announcing a hearing schedule. <div class="og_rss_groups"></div><p><a href="http://westernfarmpress.com/government/farm-bill-move-senate-hearings-set" target="_blank">read more</a></p>

The process of planning for the orderly administration and disposition of assets after the owner dies.