Gifting of belongings and energy of legal professional
Your query is without doubt one of the extra widespread ones that comes up in my apply, Chris. First off, I’m sorry to listen to about your mom. Dementia is a difficult impairment and I do know from expertise how troublesome it may be to look after and make choices for an getting old father or mother.
When appearing as legal professional in your mom, you might be chargeable for making monetary and well being care choices on her behalf. An influence of legal professional can typically appoint somebody to do something along with your funds that you are able to do. That may embody banking, managing investments, shopping for or promoting actual property and so forth.
An legal professional can not write a brand new will or make modifications to beneficiary designations. They have to act in one of the best curiosity of the person who appointed them. They’re a fiduciary with a really excessive commonplace of conduct.
In your position as your mom’s legal professional, Chris, you might be presupposed to handle her funds for her. This doesn’t typically embody gifting her belongings to others, like your self and your siblings.
What’s an executor in Canada?
You point out you might be her executor as nicely. An executor is a person who’s appointed in a will to distribute the property of the testator (the one that wrote the desire). An influence of legal professional applies throughout somebody’s life and ceases instantly upon their dying. That’s when their will and the executor take over (although virtually, it will not be official till the desire is probated).
Even when your mom’s will states that her property is to be divided equally between you and your siblings, Chris, you aren’t but appearing as her executor till she dies. Whereas she is alive, you have to be managing her cash for her and that typically doesn’t embody making early property distributions.
The dangers of gifting a dwelling father or mother’s belongings
Regardless of this, many individuals do begin to divvy up their father or mother’s property earlier than they die. There are dangers in doing so.
The first threat is that you’re not appearing correctly in your position as her legal professional. You could possibly be personally chargeable for improper administration of her funds.
