If you forget where you left your car keys, that’s normal. If you forget what your keys are for, you had better pay attention.”
That may be the most useful paragraph I’ve ever read to help me understand the effect of aging and other factors on cognition and mental functions. This was in a pamphlet produced [...]

Many people ask us for advice about whom to name as the executor of their wills. This is a very important task, and you won’t be around to supervise the person’s work.
Sometimes naming your power of attorney can be just as tricky. Remember that the person named as your attorney has the legal right to [...]

If you have been a fan of this column for 15 odd years – and, frankly, who hasn’t been? – then you know that we have been consistently insistent about having you prepare a proper estate plan.
A proper estate plan means a well-thought out Will that expresses your wishes, provides for any available tax reduction [...]

“I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad
“Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
“Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you…”  1
If you have someone who feels that way about you, you’re a very lucky person. Count your blessings. However, even if you’re one of those lucky few, do you have a [...]

Through both professional and personal experience, I have come to know how critically important it can be to have a proper enduring power of attorney document in place when it is needed.
To properly explain these, and to clearly delineate the authorized activities of an “attorney”, I asked an expert, Cynthia Hiebert-Simkin, LL.B., a lawyer at [...]

Stop me if you’ve heard me say this before – you need to have a Will.
Having a valid, accurate, up-to-date Will is going to save your family a ton of hassle when you die, will reduce legal and other fees associated with death, may save taxes, and will ensure that your estate goes to the [...]

Canadian society has a big problem, which is going to get exponentially worse as we baby boomers mature.
The estimated societal cost of Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia in 2008 was $15 billion. A study released last week estimates that these same costs will total $153 billion by 2038. Yes, a ten-fold increase!
This is based [...]

Dementia and incapacity is a fact of life for 500,000 Canadians, which may be 1.1 million by 2038.  This week’s Winnipeg Free Press column is about how you can prepare for incapacity – by executing an enduring power of attorney - and maybe prevent it, by living a healthier lifestyle. www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/33846519.html
The new study is published by the [...]

With winter coming, certain preparations have to be made. This article is about preparations a different kind.
Last week, I must reluctantly admit, I was enjoying warm sunshine, while speaking at a Knowledge Bureau Distinguished Advisor Conference in Arizona.
My presentation was about making proper arrangements now so that your business affairs and investments will be looked [...]

As promised in December, we are going to review some of the responsibilities involved with being an executor and some of the preparations you should be making now.
First, though, a little Tax Free Savings Account news for Manitobans.  The provincial government is introducing an amendment to the Retirement Plan Beneficiaries Act, to allow people in [...]