Helping you protect your loved ones is what we do best
For many of us, drafting or updating our will isn’t at the top of our to-do list. In fact, it can be something we try to avoid. But if you think it’s “just not that important,” you might want to think again—just ask the family of someone who passed away suddenly without one.
Careful estate planning and estate administration can greatly help families during a difficult time. It reduces legal costs and delays, and lessens the likelihood of family disputes. In essence, it’s an opportunity to provide a final gift to our loved ones.
You decide—or the government will decide for you
“Jennifer recently completed the sale of our parents’ home, and took care of our wills and powers of attorney.
“She was professional, efficient and friendly. We appreciated the effort she made to explain everything and to make sure that we understood the nuance of each document.
“We would certainly use Jennifer’s services again and would not hesitate to recommend her to friends and family.”
Sandy P., client
Simply put, a will is a written declaration that provides for the distribution of your estate after your death. If you don’t have a will, your estate will be divided according to the provincial rules of succession—and that may not be in accordance with your wishes.
A will can be a relatively straightforward document to prepare. But proper estate planning should also include other elements, such as powers of attorney to protect your legal and financial interests and specify your end-of-life care.
That is why, when it comes to estate planning, Jennifer Stiell takes a much broader look at this area of the law. Because it’s about more than just who gets what; it’s about protecting what you’ve worked for, maintaining family harmony and speeding up the process. It’s about reducing the stress on your loved ones and ensuring they are taken care of more quickly.
Protection and Peace of Mind
For estate planning services designed to protect your interests and the ones you love, contact Jennifer now by email, or call her 613-237-0505, ext. 211.
Taking care of your needs when you can’t
What happens if you are temporarily or permanently incapable of making a decision for yourself about your financial affairs or personal care due to injury or illness? How do you make sure your wishes are carried out?
Good estate planning includes powers of attorney, which are legal documents that enable you to appoint someone to act on your behalf if you cannot make a decision yourself.
In Ontario there are three distinct kinds of powers of attorney.
A continuing power of attorney for property covers your financial affairs and allows the person you name to act for you if, for example, you become mentally incapable.
A non-continuing power of attorney for property cannot be used if you become mentally incapable. You might need this type of power of attorney if you want someone to look after your financial transactions while you’re away from home for an extended period of time.
Lastly, a power of attorney for personal care means that you give someone you trust the ability to make decisions of a personal nature that you are not capable of making, for example, decisions about medical treatment.
A power of attorney for personal care is a health care directive in which you state your wishes for end-of-life care. For example, it could indicate whether or not you want aggressive life-prolonging measures to be taken on your behalf. By having this in place, you gain control over your future health care and you reduce the burden on your loved ones when making these difficult decisions.
Contact Jennifer now by email, or call her at 613-237-0505, ext. 211 to discuss how a power of attorney can help ensure that you and your property are protected and that your wishes are carried out.
Helping families and executors get through a difficult time
Estate administration is the process of distributing the assets of an estate after someone dies in accordance with their wishes (if there is a will in place) and in accordance with provincial law. Usually, a will appoints an estate executor—the person in charge of wrapping up the estate. He or she has a number of duties, for example, ensuring that assets are properly distributed to beneficiaries and that debts and taxes are paid.
But, often, executors need help to meet their obligations and carry out their duties. For example, depending on the nature of the assets, a court application and other legal documents may be required. In that event, they may need to consult with a lawyer who understands this area of the law and who can provide the guidance they need.
As an experienced estate administration lawyer, Jennifer works to assist executors and families to navigate what can be a complex and stressful process.
Contact Jennifer now by email, or call her at 613-237-0505, ext. 211 to discuss how she can help resolve potential issues and ensure that assets are distributed as quickly, efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible.
“Jennifer provides solid, professional advice. Her work is timely and thorough. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her estate services to anyone.”
Gerry S., client
Jennifer A. Stiell 