Estate Freezes
Establishing trusts (including cross-border trusts)
Succession of family businesses
Powers of attorney
Probate fee planning
Even the best prepared estate plans still require additional steps to be undertaken post-mortem to avoid unnecessary tax. It is prudent to undertake a review of the tax implications on the estate, and a tax lawyer can identify if there are any tax planning opportunities. This is particularly important for estates where the taxpayer had owned private company shares at the time of death, as without proper advice, double (or triple) taxation will frequently apply.
We provide tax and estate planning advice to Canadians who have a nexus to the United States. For many clients, this is a result of owning property in the US. We provide advice on how best to structure ownership of US properties, with a view of limiting complexity, while balancing potential US estate taxes against other taxes. It is best to reach out to us before purchasing the property, as this provides the greatest flexibility. If you have already purchased the property, it can still be worthwhile to conduct a review to ensure the structure should not be changed.
