A will is an important legal document that ensures your assets, such as properties or your investment portfolio, are distributed as you would designate in the event of your passing. By planning and creating a Will, you ensure that you can continue to care for your loved ones after you are gone. When a person passes without a Will, the law steps in to determine your estate’s administrator and who will inherit with no thought or consideration given to what your wishes may have been.

At McMurter & Associates, we start our estate planning consultation by asking you to provide information about your finances, dependants and any particular concerns you would like to address. For example, we can take steps to ensure that a loved one with care needs receives the benefit of an inheritance without losing eligibility for government disability benefits

McMurter & Associates in Whitby has been providing astute estate planning services throughout the region, including in Oshawa, for more than 30 years. Our wills lawyer can draft a full range of testamentary documents to meet your needs. In this way, you can achieve the peace of mind that your estate is well-planned and your loved ones are provided for.

Just as you wouldn’t want someone else deciding how to manage your life decisions while you are alive, you don’t want someone else making those decisions for you once you pass. With a little bit of planning, and some expert guidance, you can ensure that your specific wish regarding your estate are carried out.

Specifically, a Will can determine:

• Who will be responsible for administering your estate
• Who will be the beneficiaries of your estate
• Clearly outline any specific provisions for beneficiaries who are not yet of legal age, ensure care for dependants with special needs, and designate the Trustee who will administer your child or children’s inheritance.

For example, you can choose to place your child’s inheritance in trust until he or she reaches a certain age. Or, you can specify that it is distributed in stages so the child does not receive an influx of money when he or she does not have the maturity to handle it. In addition, a will allows you to name the trustee of that inheritance, who will administer it for the child’s benefit until it is distributed.

A will, in conjunction with other estate planning tools such as powers of attorney, can also establish your choices for end-of-life care and medical treatment. This is sometimes known as a “living will.” When you meet with us, we will discuss your specific concerns and objectives for your estate plan and how best to achieve them.

Often, it is advisable to prepare both a will and powers of attorney as part of your estate planning. For this reason, we offer reduced rates for these combined services. Our “No Surprises” legal fees for wills and powers of attorney are as follows:

To receive more information about our fees, please contact our office.

Additional fees may apply in certain circumstances, such as:

• Wills with Corporate Trustees.
• Trust provisions in addition to minor beneficiary age payable.
• Secondary Wills.

Please inquire if any of the above apply to you.