Plain-language answers to the questions families are afraid to ask. No jargon, no pressure.
Glossary of termsNot sure what a word means? Look it up here, in plain language.CPP, OAS, GIS, provincial health coverage, and making your money last.
What bills keep going, what stops
How to handle the bills that arrive after a death in Canada.
3 min read
Inheritance and tax in Canada, the simple version
Most families pay no tax in Canada. Here's why.
3 min read
CPP, OAS, and GIS, in plain words
When to start CPP or QPP, how the amount is decided, and the one choice most people get wrong.
6 min read
RRSPs and RRIFs, in plain words
How registered savings work, what changes at 71, and the withdrawal rules that surprise people.
6 min read
What happens to debts when someone dies
Who pays the credit cards, the loans and the CRA — and when family is not on the hook at all.
6 min read
DPSPs and workplace savings plans, in plain words
Profit-sharing plans, group RRSPs, vesting, and what happens to them when you leave a job or die.
6 min read
Claiming life insurance after a death
How to find the policies, how to claim, how fast it pays, and how it is taxed.
5 min read
Annuities in Canada, in plain words
Turning savings into a guaranteed paycheque — life vs. term-certain, prescribed taxation, and what your family receives.
7 min read
Provincial health coverage and long-term care
What your provincial health plan pays for, what it does not, and how long-term care is billed.
6 min read
When some assets are outside Canada, including a US property
A Florida condo, a foreign bank account, or US stocks can add a second legal process. Here is what to watch for.
6 min read
How to apply for CPP/QPP survivor and death benefits
A step-by-step walkthrough of the death benefit, survivor pension, and children's benefit — what to file and when.
6 min read
Your home as a financial tool — reverse mortgages and downsizing.
Reverse mortgages in Canada, in plain words
What they are, how they work, and how the money gets paid back in Canada.
6 min read
How a reverse mortgage gets paid back
Nobody makes monthly payments — so who pays, and when? The three events that end the loan.
6 min read
What a reverse mortgage really costs
Origination fees, appraisal costs, and compounding interest — the numbers, in plain dollars.
5 min read
Reverse mortgage or downsize? A side-by-side look
Two ways to turn your home equity into income. The best option for you depends on how long you plan to stay in your home.
6 min read
How the family home passes when someone dies
Joint tenancy, tenants in common, sole ownership — and why Quebec is different.
6 min read
When a home sits empty: the 30-day insurance trap
The most expensive mistake families make after a death, and how to avoid it in one phone call.
6 min read
The cottage, the rental, the second property: tax at death
Deemed disposition, capital gains, and why one property in the family is tax-free and the rest are not.
8 min read
Selling a property from an estate, step by step
What the executor needs before listing, and the traps between the offer and the closing.
7 min read
Being a landlord you never asked to be
A tenancy does not end when the landlord dies. What the estate owes tenants, and what tenants owe the estate.
6 min read
Property in another province or another country
Ancillary probate, US estate tax, and why a second lawyer is usually unavoidable.
7 min read
What happens to the mortgage when someone dies
The loan does not disappear. Who pays it, what the lender can demand, and the insurance to check.
6 min read
Downsizing your home
When it makes sense, how to think about it in a Canadian context, and the steps that make it less overwhelming.
5 min read
Wills, trusts, executors, and probate, explained simply.
What is an executor (or liquidator in Quebec)?
The person who carries out a will — what they do, who appoints them, and what happens when there is no will.
6 min read
Wills, in plain words
What a will does, what it can't do, and whether you need a lawyer or notary to draft one.
5 min read
Trusts, in plain words
What a trust is, the difference between a will (or notarial will in Quebec) and a trust, and when a trust is worth it.
6 min read
Probate and settling an estate, in plain words
What probate is, when you can avoid it, and roughly what it costs (which varies by province).
6 min read
What happens to an RRSP or RRIF when someone dies
The deemed-disposition rule, the spousal rollover, and how a big tax bill catches families off guard.
7 min read
TFSAs, successor holders, and beneficiaries
One word on a form decides whether a TFSA keeps growing tax-free for your spouse or quietly starts costing them.
6 min read
When the person who died owned a business
Shares, corporate wind-ups, the double-tax trap, and the paperwork the day after.
6 min read
Stock trading and investment accounts when someone dies
What happens to a brokerage, self-directed trading or crypto account at death — deemed disposition, open positions, the records your executor will need, and the traps.
8 min read
What to do, in what order, in the first days and weeks.
The first 48 hours after a loved one passes
A gentle, step-by-step guide to what happens right away in Canada.
3 min read
What to do first when someone dies
A calm, ordered list for the first days and weeks — before Service Canada, the provincial health authorities, and the Canada Revenue Agency paperwork takes over.
5 min read
The final tax return, and the ones after it
The terminal T1, the deadlines that actually apply, and the optional returns most families never hear about.
6 min read
Opening the estate bank account
The account that keeps the executor out of trouble — what it is, when to open it, and what the bank will ask for.
5 min read
What an executor actually does, month by month
A realistic first-year map: the urgent week, the slow middle, and the closing.
7 min read
Death certificates, notifying agencies, and closing accounts.
Death certificates: how many and how to get them
A short guide to the death certificate and the provincial copies you will need.
2 min read
Who to notify: Service Canada, banks, insurance, and more
A simple list of who needs to know.
3 min read
Cancelling subscriptions and accounts
A gentle way to close down what is no longer needed.
3 min read
Transferring a vehicle after a death
Insurance first, then the registry. What every province asks for, and the traps with leases and liens.
4 min read
Your digital life after you die
Passwords, photos, legacy contacts, and the accounts that keep charging a closed card.
6 min read
Cancelling ID, licences and health cards
SIN, driver's licence, passport, health card, and Indian Status — who to tell and what they need.
5 min read
How to find and read a will
Where to look for the will, who can see it, and what the key sections mean.
3 min read
Choices, costs, and how to pay — without pressure.
Funeral, burial, and cremation choices, explained
A warm, plain-language overview of the choices available in Canada.
4 min read
Paying for a funeral in Canada
What funerals typically cost in Canada, who pays, and ways to keep it affordable.
5 min read
Religious, spiritual, cultural or non-religious wishes
How to write down what you want at the end of life — whether that includes a faith tradition, cultural practices, or no religion at all.
7 min read
Organ, tissue and eye donation in Canada, in plain words
Who can donate, how consent is registered province by province, why eye and tissue donation is possible for almost everyone, and what a family is actually asked at the hospital.
6 min read
Donating your body to a medical school in Canada
How body bequeathal programs work, why they can say no at the time of death, what it costs, and how it changes the funeral your family can hold.
5 min read
Talking about money, powers of attorney, and protecting loved ones.
Talking with family about money
Why the toughest conversation is often the most vital, and how to begin it.
5 min read
Power of attorney and mandate, in plain words
What a power of attorney does, the types available in Canada, and why you need one *before* a crisis occurs.
5 min read
What happens to the pets
The first 24 hours, and how to make sure an animal is not surrendered by default.
4 min read
When capacity slips: acting under a power of attorney
How capacity is assessed, when a POA actually starts working, and what to do when there isn't one.
6 min read
Talking to your family about end-of-life wishes
How to start a kind, honest conversation about wishes and money.
3 min read
Avoiding scams and financial exploitation
The most common scams targeting older adults in Canada, the warning signs, and how to protect your family.
5 min read
Common-law vs. married: what a surviving partner is entitled to
In much of Canada a common-law partner does not automatically inherit. What changes, and what a couple can do about it.
5 min read
When you need a lawyer or notary, and when you don't.
What is probate and do we need it?
Probate, estate certificates, and notarial wills — in plain words, province by province.
3 min read
When you need a lawyer or notary, and when you don't
How to get the legal help you need in Canada without paying for help you don't.
3 min read
The clearance certificate, and why you must wait for it
The CRA document that ends the executor's personal liability — and the one most families distribute without.
4 min read
When a will is challenged
Who can contest, on what grounds, and the dependant support claims that beat the will entirely.
6 min read
Notarial, holograph, and witnessed wills in Canada
The three ways a will gets made, which provinces accept what, and why Quebec is genuinely different.
5 min read
Medical assistance in dying, in plain words
What MAID is, who is eligible, how the process works, and what it means for insurance and the estate.
6 min read
When there is no will, or no one left to act
Intestacy rules, who the court appoints, and what the public trustee does when there is no family at all.
5 min read
What probate costs, province by province
Probate fees vary widely across Canada. Here is roughly what to expect, and how families keep the bill down.
4 min read