Estate Planners' Council of Hamilton

September EPC Meeting - Decisional Capacity 101 with Gosha G.S. Sekhon
2021-09-14 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Toronto) | Virtual – On Line, Canada
“Understanding capacity and determining a lack of capacity are complex concepts that can impact a person’s ability to manage their affairs. This presentation will provide a refresher of fundamental concepts in how capacity is defined and what levels of capacity are required to manage property, personal care decisions, and put in place estate planning.”
Gosha G.S. Sekhon is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). Gosha’s firm Sekhon Legal Services focuses exclusively on estate planning law. She has been in the Trust and Estate industry for over 15 years and has extensive experience with complex planning considerations involving incapable beneficiaries, small business interests and blended families. Gosha is an ‘03 graduate of Queen’s Law School and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2004. She currently lives in Oakville, Ontario with her husband two children. Gosha is active in her community, including being on the School Council at her children’s school and as a member of several local networking groups.

May EPC Meeting - AGM & 2021 Tax Update - Erin Podio
2021-05-11 16:30 - 17:30 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
AGM plus a tax discussion by Erin Podio
2021 Tax Update: A brief summary of recent income tax developments of interest for estate and trust practitioners including a discussion of proposed tax measures in the 2021 federal budget.
BIO
As a Partner in Grant Thornton’s Canadian Domestic Tax practice and the firm’s Southern Ontario Succession and Estate Planning Leader, Erin is responsible for leading and executing estate planning and tax advisory engagements for Canadian business owners and high net worth individuals. Erin is able to advise clients on a broad range of Canadian tax compliance matters and tax planning solutions. Her experience includes providing innovative and effective tax strategies to individuals and corporations to minimize taxation, as well as providing estate and succession planning advice to business owners. Her practice experience includes Canadian income tax services with respect to estate planning, post-mortem planning, corporate reorganizations, purchase/sale transactions, remuneration planning, personal and corporate tax compliance, tax advisory regarding the use of family trusts and tax compliance for deemed resident trusts. Erin has worked with clients across a diverse range of industries in the privately held business sector including real estate and manufacturing. Erin is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Estate Planners’ Council of Hamilton.

April EPC Meeting - Shannon Williams & Stephen McCotter, RBC - Easing the Burden - Working with Trust Companies
2021-04-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Presenting:
Shannon Williams, RBC & Stephen McCotter, RBC
Easing the Burden – Working with Trust Companies
Our presentation will focus on the estate and trust services provided by trust companies along with the pros/cons of working with them and the professionals involved.
Bios:
Shannon Williams, Estate and Trust Advisor for the Southwestern Ontario Region
A graduate of Sheridan College with an advanced diploma in Business Administration – Finance, and a graduate certificate in financial planning, Shannon has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as the Certified Financial Planning (CFP), MTI Estate and Trust Professional, and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP).
Stephen McCotter, Senior Will and Estate Advisor for the Southern Ontario Region
Stephen first graduated from Western University with a degree in Economics and Finance, before spending 15 years as a small business owner in the field of hospitality. In 2006, Stephen returned to Western University, where he earned his Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law. During his time at law school, Stephen completed the tax stream concentration, and earned the James McKee Award for Excellence in Taxation. Upon graduation, Stephen articled with a national law firm in Toronto. After being called to the Bar for Ontario, Stephen ran his own general law practice for five years, with a focus on estates. He then joined a major Canadian financial institution in Toronto as Counsel and Senior Will and Estate Consultant with their Private Wealth Management division, before joining RBC in 2016.

March EPC Meeting 2021 - Jennifer Stebbing - Recent Legislative changes that affect Estate Planning
2021-03-09 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Jennifer Stebbing
Recent legislative changes that affect Estate Planners
A review of recent legislative changes and proposed changes by the Ontario government that affect estate planners. This includes, but is not limited to, the changes to the Estates Act, the proposed Accelerating Access to Justice Act, 2021 and a review of the now defined “small estate”.
Jennifer Stebbing is a partner at Ross & McBride LLP and the Chair of the Estate and Trust practice group. Jennifer practices predominantly in the area of estate planning, administration and accounting. She earned her JD from Michigan State University and her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa. Last year she completed her LL.M. specializing in Tax at Osgoode Hall Law School. Most recently Jennifer received the Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist designation in Estates and Trusts.
Jennifer is also active in her local Law Association, is the Vice-Chair of the Hamilton Conservation Foundation and on the executive of the Canadian Celiac Association.

Feb EPC 2021 Meeting - Andrea McLaughlin - Crimes Against Seniors
2021-02-09 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Crimes Against Seniors presented by Andrea McLaughlin, Hamilton Police Service, Senior Support Officer
Andrea McLaughlin is a 30 year constable with the Hamilton Police Service serving several different assignments including uniformed patrol and plain clothes investigations. Andrea’s current assignment is as the Senior Support Officer for Division One which primarily covers the area of central Hamilton.
Andrea will be presenting information relating to ways in which older adults are being taken advantage of or abused by family members and strangers. The circumstances that are enabling these incidents to occur and the red flags that can be recognized that will assist in the identification of them occurring. The role of the police in what we do and what we do not investigate will also be presented in association with case studies.

January EPC Meeting - Eric N. Hoffstein - "Remedies Against Misbehaving Trustees"
2021-01-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Eric N. Hoffstein, TEP of Fogler, Rubinoff LLP will be speaking on “Remedies Against Misbehaving Trustees”.
Here are a few bullet points for topics he plans to cover:
• Litigation strategy: pros and cons of trust accounting
• What are the limits of trustee discretionary powers
• Busting the trust
• What can the courts do (and what can’t they do)?
As for questions, he is happy for you to interrupt me with any questions as they come up. I hope to make this presentation as useful as possible to the EPC members and I find that questions can help focus the discussion on what matters most to the attendees.
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Eric Hoffstein Brief Bio for Presentations

December EPC Meeting - David Henderson - Whose Money is it Anyway?
2020-12-08 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Recent developments regarding jointly held assets and beneficiary designations
Presented by our own David Henderson. David was called to the bar in 2008 and his practice focuses on trust and estate and corporate law. He has extensive experience with succession planning for family businesses as well as complex estate and trust planning and administration.

November EPC 2020 - New Trust Reporting Rules - Andrew C. Bateman & Brett Anderson
2020-11-10 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Andrew C. Bateman & Brett Anderson, Partners at Felesky Flynn, LLP, Calgary
New reporting rules are proposed to come into effect for many trusts, starting with those having taxation years ending Dec 31, 2021. Such trusts will now be required to disclose personal information concerning their settlors, trustees, beneficiaries and other persons that can exert control over the trusts (such as protectors).
These new rules create an increased risk of personal liability for trustees.
Certain trusts will want to take action before the end of the year to proactively address these new trust reporting rules.
Andrew C. Bateman: Andrew’s practice covers a broad spectrum of taxation law, including diverse areas such as public and private corporation transactions, family law tax issues, tax dispute resolution and litigation, trust and estate taxation, First Nation taxation and goods and services tax.
Brett Anderson: With extensive tax law experience, Brett, a co-managing partner in Calgary, specializes in corporate tax planning, focusing on public reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, international tax and dispute resolution.

October EPC - Kate Lazier - Tax Credits for Charitable Gifts - Virtual
2020-10-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
This seminar will explore the tax credits for charitable gifts of publicly traded securities, stock options, life insurance, RRSP, TFSA and bequests. It will explore tax efficient gifting strategies and some common mistakes in estate plans.
Kate is a Wealth Strategist with legal background and in-depth knowledge of philanthropy. Prior to joining CIBC she spent 15 years practicing law in Toronto at a national law firm. Kate has been recognized for her legal expertise in charity and non-profit law by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and in estates and trust law by Best Lawyers in Canada.
Kate uses her extensive knowledge to help affluent families in Canada maximize their wealth to benefit their families and communities. Kate provides families with personalized recommendations to assist them to realize their financial, estate and philanthropic goals.

Sept EPC - Jacob Kaufman - Estates in the time of Covid
2020-09-15 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual – On Line, Canada
Jacob Kaufman will be discussing estate planning, administration and issues that could give rise to litigation in this pandemic.
Jacob Kaufman was called to the Ontario Bar in 2011. Prior to joining de VRIES LITIGATION LLP, he worked at one of the world’s largest law firms in the areas of estate and commercial litigation.
Jacob litigates will challenges, dependent support claims, guardianship applications, power of attorney disputes, contested passings of account and other estate/trust litigation matters. He has appeared before various levels of court, including the Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
• Please sign in about 10 or 15 min early to ensure you can navigate Zoom
• Guests are free this season but we ask that they do not forward on the invitation but instead forward the names and emails of friends or colleagues who wish to attend to me. We will send them a personal invite and introduce them at the start of the meeting. As per our usual process, after attending 3 meetings, we will send an application to join the council.

March EPC - Tips & Traps when Including Annuities in a Client's Planning- Suzanne Schultz, CPA, CA, CFP
2020-03-10 17:30 - 19:00 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Suzanne Schultz, CPA, CA, CFP
Vice-President and Estate Planning Specialist
RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc.
PRESENTATION: Tips and Traps when Including Annuities in a Client’s Planning
In this presentation Suzanne will talk about the different kinds of annuities available on the market, the taxation of annuities as well as some real life case studies where annuities worked well, and when they didn’t. It will help anyone who offers financial products, tax or financial planning services, and estate planners, including lawyers who write wills.

BIOGRAPHY: Suzanne’s focus is to protect and enhance family, business and multi-generational wealth. She is a trusted professional known for expert wealth management advice utilizing advanced, insurance-based tax and estate planning solutions.
Prior to her role at RBC, Suzanne built her career at a major accounting firm and a boutique tax and estate planning firm. She holds CPA, CA and CFP designations and has completed the CICA’s In-Depth Tax Course. She was featured as an expert on BNN and HGTV’s House Poor, and has contributed to the Globe and Mail, National Post and other publications. She is also co-author of 78 Tax Tips for Canadians for Dummies.
Suzanne uses her in-depth technical knowledge to carefully understand what can complicate your financial and family situations and collaborates with your other professionals to uncover where you might be exposed to excessive taxes and risk. This planning is essential for business owners, professionals, executives and those with charitable goals.

Our meetings normally take place on the 2nd Tuesday evening of every month between September and May at Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, Ontario at the corner of James Street North and Murray.

Where there’s a Will, there should be a way - Elaine Blades
2020-02-11 17:30 - 19:00 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Elaine Blades, J.D., TEP
Senior Manager, Professional Practice Group
RBC Estate & Trust Services
Royal Trust Corporation of Canada
Elaine Blades, Senior Manager, Professional Practice Group (PPG) at RBC Estate & Trust Services, is a principal resource for technical and legal expertise for trust and estate matters. The PPG provides technical guidance and support to the estates and trusts business as well as to other RBC Wealth Management businesses, both at the account and business levels. Elaine is involved in both internal and industry-wide educational initiatives, including through her work with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Canada. Elaine frequently writes and presents to various audiences on estate and trust topics. Her articles and blogs may be found at advisor.ca and allabaoutestates.ca.
Elaine began her career in private practice and has worked in the financial services industry for over two decades. She has been involved in many estate and trust educational and training initiatives, including working as an instructor at Seneca College’s Law Clerk’s program and teaching at the Bar Admission Course, Law Society of Upper Canada. Elaine is presently a member of STEP Canada’s Education Committee.
A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Elaine has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as TEP. Elaine has served on the board of UNICEF Canada and Providence Centre’s Planned Giving Committee.
Our meetings normally take place on the 2nd Tuesday evening of every month between September and May at Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, Ontario at the corner of James Street North and Murray.
Hamilton EPC – February 2020

January 14 - US Death Taxation in Light of TCJA & Secure Act - Elena Hanson
2020-01-14 17:30 - 19:00 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
“US Death Taxation in Light of TCJA (Tax Cuts Job Act) and Secure Act”
Elena Hanson is a Managing Director of Hanson Crossborder Tax Inc, a private international tax advisory company which she founded in 2012.
Elena assists US, Canadian and international private clients and the institutions that service them on cross-border taxation issues, investment structuring, and trust and estate planning. She works with Canadian and non-US resident clients on structuring US inbound investments to minimize federal and state income and estate tax exposure. She advises US clients on tax aspects of foreign investments, including anti-deferral rules, entity classification issues and reporting requirements for foreign entities and trusts. Her work in that area also encompasses Canadian and US pre-immigration, departure taxation rules, and expatriation planning, cross-border compensation and employment tax issues and corporate structuring for foreign companies setting up US or Canadian operations.
Prior to founding her company, Elena spent 12 years working for several of the Big Four in Canada and overseas focusing mostly on Canada and US cross-border tax advisory and compliance for private clients, corporate assignees/mobile executives, cross-border estates and trusts and US inbound and outbound entities. She started her professional career in tax with the IRS, Small Business and Self-Employment Division.
Elena speaks extensively before professional groups including accountants, investment advisors and insurance brokers. She frequently publishes articles on various aspects of cross-border taxation planning. Elena also serves as a National Board Member of American Chamber of Commerce Canada. She is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, Master in Taxation from Golden Gate University, California, USA and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Accounting from Marian University, Wisconsin, USA.
Our meetings normally take place on the 2nd Tuesday evening of every month between September and May at Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, Ontario at the corner of James Street North and Murray.

Dec Meeting - Adam Cappelli - Vaccinating Your Estate from Entitleitis – Effective ways of transferring values not just valuables
2019-12-10 17:30 - 19:30 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Adam co-founded Cambridge LLP law firm in 2010. Cambridge LLP now has four offices in Ontario and over 30 employees (18 lawyers). Adam is managing partner of the Estates Group which focuses on estate planning, administration and estate litigation. Adam has been certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Estates and Trusts Law which has been the focus of his practice for over 22 years.
Adam’s extensive experience in resolving hundreds of estate disputes arising from clients’ poor planning and advisors’ bad advice, has enhanced Adam’s problem solving in complex estate planning matters. Adam often advises executors, trustees, and attorneys in respect of their fiduciary obligations and he is often retained by beneficiaries and trustees in respect of bringing or defending a claim involving an estate or trust.
Adam’s professional experience inspired him to produce and host a popular local TV show “Heirs & Omissions” and to teach estate planning in the MBA program at McMaster University for several years.
Adam is one of the select group of lawyers who have successfully completed both the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) program and the membership requirements of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). For the last 12 consecutive years, Adam has been voted by his peers as one of “The Best Lawyers In Canada” in the area of Estates and Trusts Law. Adam received his MBA and LLB degrees from the University of Windsor. Prior to that he worked as a financial analyst and investment advisor for IBM Canada and Midland Walwyn Capital, respectively, following his graduation from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Adam has lived in Ancaster for the past 26 years with his wife and two daughters. He is passionate about live music and sports.

November 21, 2019 - Joint Meeting in Oakville
2019-11-21 17:30 - 19:00 | Oakville Golf Club, 1154 Sixth Line, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 6M1, Canada
“The Virtual Family Office: Wealth & Health Stewardship”
Loren Francis, Highview Financial & Susan Hyatt, Silver Sherpa
Meal Choices:
Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper
or
Stuffed Portobello Mushroom (Vegetarian and Gluten-Free)

October EPC - Michael Evers - The Problem with Millionaires
2019-10-08 17:30 - 19:30 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Our meetings normally take place on the 2nd Tuesday evening of every month between September and May (EXCEPT for our Joint Meeting in November with Mississauga and Halton) at Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, Ontario at the corner of James Street North and Murray.

October Presenter
Michael Evers

We’ve discovered that no matter how successful, how wealthy, or how famous a family might be, there are usually some serious issues just below the surface that don’t come out in casual conversation. Every family has them, and rarely do they know how to deal with them effectively in their planning for the transfer of assets to the next generation.
Mike Evers of The Evers Financial Group will discuss some interesting “family dynamics” situations they’ve encountered over the past 36 years, including how to uncover them and how we resolved them (or sometimes couldn’t).

Guests are welcome but must be hosted by an existing member. Guest Fee is $50.00 and includes dinner and presentation. Guests can only attend 3 meetings before being invited to join the Estate Planners’ Council.

September EPC Meeting - Phil Kriszenfeld - Conflict Resolution in the Family Business
2019-09-10 17:30 - 19:30 | Liuna Station, 360 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Member Phil Kriszenfeld will be presenting on conflict resolution in the family business.
Phil Kriszenfeld B.A. Q. Med., FEA is a Family Business Advisor and Mediator focusing on high conflict Family Businesses and Partnerships who will be talking about how to address conflict within these environments. Phil also works extensively on with Estates and their various Conflict Resolution needs.
While working within and with Family Businesses for almost 30 years, Phil, has spent the last 10 years developing his practice exclusively within this world and often acts as a “secret weapon” in assisting other professionals who help these Families.
