Beneficiaries and gifts
Who inherits what: specific gifts, the residue of your estate, contingent beneficiaries, and charitable bequests.
Beneficiaries, explained: specific gifts, residue and backups
The three-layer structure of every will — specific gifts, the residue split, and what happens when a beneficiary dies first. Get the layers right and the will works.
Leaving a gift to charity in your will
How to name a charity so the gift actually lands — legal name and CRA number — the donation tax credit your estate receives, and percentage versus fixed-amount gifts.
RRSPs, TFSAs and insurance: the beneficiaries your will can't touch
Registered accounts and life insurance with named beneficiaries pass outside your will entirely — and stale designations override new wills. The interaction, the tax trap, and the checklist.
Providing for a disabled beneficiary without breaking their benefits
An outright inheritance can disqualify a disabled beneficiary from ODSP, PWD or AISH. The Henson trust, the RDSP rollover, and why this plan needs a lawyer's drafting.
Leaving money to minors: trusts, ages and the court's default
Minors cannot receive an inheritance directly. Without instructions, the money is paid into court and released in full at 18 or 19. A testamentary trust and an inheritance age fix it.
Start your will. Pay when you approve it.
Answer the questions, read your finished will, then decide. $15 until October 31, 2026 — $29 after that.