Overview
Helping to build and protect your wealth. That’s what we mean by a different kind of practice.
Our Team
We know that you have specific family, professional and financial goals. We know that protecting your loved ones and your assets is of great importance to you. Our wealth protection team has developed a unique expertise in this complex area. We take pride in our creative and pragmatic ideas, tailored to your needs.
Asset Protection Planning
Clients often omit to set up a structure to limit their personal liability. We develop structures that respond to these issues: for example by creating asset protection trusts. Did you know that there are at least half a dozen ways to structure this type of trust? We create structures that are fully integrated with your will and your mandate in case of incapacity and that respect your spousal rights.
Estate Planning
Planning in advance what will happen to your property after death will provide comfort that your designated heirs will get the most out of your estate. Your needs change over time, which is why we offer flexible and customized solutions, including notarial wills, mandates in case of incapacity, personal balance sheets, gifts inter vivos to family members, acquisition or ownership structures for secondary residences in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, life insurance planning and estate freezes.
Estate Settlement
Whether you are a liquidator, trustee, beneficiary or legatee, our team can answer your questions about your rights and obligations and guide you through the various steps involved in the settlement of an estate. We have developed special expertise in complex estate settlements involving private company shares or assets abroad, and settling estates which involve establishing testamentary trusts.
Our tax specialists ensure that taxes are minimized, for an estate as well as for its heirs. Our team of notaries and lawyers can also advise you on disputes between heirs, trust beneficiaries, liquidators and trustees.
Spousal rights Planning
Whether you are married or in a common law relationship, it’s important to know all the rights and obligations that you and your partner have towards one another. We offer solutions that are designed to protect your assets, your rights, your family and your estate, whether by drawing up a marriage contract or an agreement between common-law spouses, or by making changes to your matrimonial regime.
Tax Planning Trust
The unique legal and tax aspects of a trust make it an ideal structure in which to hold assets. Trusts may be used to defer taxes upon death, to split income, to multiply the capital gains deduction and to allocate income to an entity resident in a lower tax jurisdiction. Our team has mastered the art of developing and implementing simple or complex structures involving trusts.
Use of Financial Products, Derivatives and Life Insurance
The return on financial structures and products often depends on their tax treatment. Our team advises both issuers and purchasers on sophisticated products such as monetization, swaps or other derivative products, structured products, positioning and choice of life insurance, loan/insurance arrangements, split-dollar insurance policies or group critical illness benefit plans, leveraged retirement compensation arrangements and leveraged insured annuities.
Ownership of Real Estate in Canada and Abroad
Our team advises you on all stages of owning property. We select structures that take into account the property’s use, the anticipated period of ownership, and whether you intend to leave the property to your heirs or to sell it. In order to further improve your financial and tax situations, we creatively use the various ownership rights stipulated in the Civil Code of Quebec. We also give special attention to real estate held abroad. This means using mechanisms aimed at reducing or eliminating the tax impact on capital gains and estate tax.
