This article is a collaboration by Ken M. Kramer, Q.C., TEP, and Plan Institute. Ken is the Founder and Principal of KMK Law and has worked with Plan Institute for a number of years as a facilitator of the Wills, Trusts, & Estates workshop and webinar.
Why it’s important to have a will
Developing a will is an important part of future planning, however it can be a challenging task and can be very easy to put off. However, if you have a minor/adult child or relative with a disability, ensuring that your will is up-to-date is even more crucial. Not having a properly drafted and up-to-date may necessitate that others make important decisions for you and may result in unintended costs and consequences – often with results that you would not have wanted. A properly drafted will gives you peace of mind, ensuring that you have made prudent decisions and have adequately provided for your family, and in the case of disability, ensure that your son or daughter with a disability continues to be entitled to provincial disability benefits. Additionally, proper planning can also protect those with disability who may also be vulnerable and susceptible to undue influence by others especially where their capacity may be in question.
However, we recognize that getting started may be challenging given the great number of competing priorities we all face. In order to make the process a little less daunting, we’ve compiled a few tips. Please refer to this glossary of terms if you are unsure of a meaning.
Determine Assets
A good starting point in developing your estate plan is to complete the Will Planning Worksheet from Safe and Secure: Six Steps to Creating a Good Life for People with Disabilities. This worksheet will give you and your legal advisor a better understanding of your assets, liabilities, family circumstances, and your wishes which will greatly assist in developing your estate plan.
Decide how you want your estate distributed
Determining how your estate will be distributed upon your passing is one of several important elements of any plan. For example: should your estate be distributed entirely to your spouse upon your passing? Furthermore, if your spouse predeceases you, should your estate be equally divided among your children? Adding further complexity, what legal and/or moral obligations might you have to your spouse and children under the provisions of British Columbia’s Wills and Estates Succession Act (“WESA“)? Specifically, in British Columbia, a person who has a spouse or children, has a legal and moral duty to provide to these individuals when considering the distribution of their estate. A failure to consider a spouse and/or children in your estate plan may result in estate litigation.
Finally, if you don’t develop a will to outline how your estate will be distributed upon your passing, such a distribution may then be determined based on the provisions of WESA which may not reflect your wishes. Accordingly, it’s important to have a will that accurately reflects your current wishes with respect to the distribution of your estate. It should also be noted that you can change your will at any time as long as you have sufficient capacity. Such changes to your will may reflect changes in your assets, legal and moral obligations, and family circumstances.
Consider a discretionary trust
It is common for parents with children with disability to set up a discretionary trust within their will. A discretionary trust has multiple purposes. Initially, it is a method to shelter money so that any inheritance received by a person with a disability does not impact their entitlement to provincial disability benefits. Funds held within such a discretionary trust are considered an exempt asset pursuant to the provisions of disability benefit legislation and regulation and therefore, will not result in your son or daughter with a disability losing their benefit entitlements. There is no dollar limit on the amount of funds that can be held within such a properly developed discretionary trust. However, all decision-making associated with the administration of such funds held within this type of trust are the responsibility of the Trustee, and hence, the disabled beneficiary traditionally has no legal input in such decision-making. A secondary, and sometimes equally important purpose for setting up a discretionary trust is where the disabled beneficiary may lack sufficient capacity to make decisions and/or be susceptible to undue influence.
An important decision in setting up a discretionary trust is determining who will be the Trustee of the discretionary trust? It is very important to choose the right Trustee not only today but in the future as well. Careful consideration must also be given to circumstances where the Trustee may be unable or unwilling to act. A discretionary trust may have a very long life, i.e., the expected life of the person with a disability, and hence, choosing a Trustee not only today but possibly 50 years from now may be necessary. There are many factors to consider in choosing the right Trustee and ultimately, there must be confidence that this individual understands and appreciates the complexities of trust administration along with the unique elements of a person with a disability. The Trustee may be a sibling, family member, friend, or possibly, a corporate trustee. However, the Trustee must be someone that you deeply trust. Here is a good blog post on choosing the right Trustee.
Choose a guardian
If you have children under 19 years of age, it is important to consider whom you will appoint as their guardian in your will should you predecease. A failure to appoint a guardian in your will may result in the Ministry of Children and Families and/or the Public Guardian & Trustee of BC having conduct of the affairs of your minor children. This may not be your wish.
Consult with a lawyer
Working with a lawyer who has experience and great knowledge of wills and estates law and its interrelationship with provincial disability benefits will be fundamental to developing a well-designed estate plan. Your lawyer should be able to explain the tax and legal implications of your decisions and specifically, the impacts of receiving an inheritance on your son or daughter’s entitlement to provincial disability benefits. Developing a will can be a challenging matter in itself but is further complicated where there is a loved one with a disability. Accordingly, it is important to develop your will with regards to the specific laws in your province, otherwise it may negatively impact your son or daughter with a disability. Therefore, it is advisable that you consult with a lawyer in your area who understands the interrelationship of estates, trusts, and disability law.
Regularly review and update your will
It is recommended that you review your will every few years or whenever there has been a significant development in your life. For example, a new addition to the family, a change in marriage status, a change of province, your trustee’s personal circumstances and their prospective move out of province, and/or your health changes. Reviewing your will regularly will ensure that your wishes reflect your current circumstances and intentions.
Good luck!
We hope that this preliminary overview will help you get started with your will planning and encourage you to consider developing and/or updating your existing estate plan. If you reside in BC and would like to learn more about planning your will where you have a loved-one with a disability, we offer an online wills, estates & disability workshop – Click here to learn more.
Related resources:
Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning Webinar – This online workshop is facilitated by a lawyer who specializes in estates, trusts & disability law and is designed specifically for families with a loved-one with a disability.
BC Lawyers List – A list of lawyers who have experience with estates, trusts & disability law in British Columbia.
Disability Planning Helpline: 1-844-311- 7526. Call the toll-free helpline from anywhere in Canada and one of our family experts will answer your questions about the Disability Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), trusts & estate planning, advocacy approaches, government benefit programs, social network building and more.
Provincial and territorial resources on estate law
Inspiring Possibilities Estate Planning Guide – A Tax benefits, trusts, and wills toolkit for Ontarians with disabilities
Why and How it is Important for You to have a Will
How to Find a Lawyer who Understands Disability-Related Trusts
Future Planning Tool – An online tool to help you secure the future for you or anyone with a disability.
Final Act of Kindness – A planning resource to guide your loved ones after you are gone.
**Please note that all views and opinions expressed by contributors should be recognized as theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or position of Plan Institute**