This straightforward book uses easy to understand language to educate the general public about estate planning. Often members of the public think that their estate needs are met simply by creating a will and holding assets jointly. What they do not realize is the many other tools available to them in the financial and legal fields, and advice sought in one field does not guarantee information flowing on tools used in the other. Uniquely, this book arms the general public with the knowledge to make intelligent choices among the many tools in both fields. Appendices provide an extensive checklist and inventory for estate planning and an explanation of the many acronyms used by professionals as credentials. Unique also are the backup authorities found in extensive footnotes using, wherever possible, websites freely available to the general public.

The author has worked In both the legal and financial fields for many years and holds licences for insurance, investments, law, and is a member of the legal bars of Ontario (Law Society of Upper Canada) and Quebec (Barreau du Quebec). His degrees are Bachelor of Commerce (Queen’s), Bachelor of Laws (Windsor), Licence en Droit Civil (Ottawa), Master of Laws (Ottawa), and Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies). His awards are many, including the McLeod Scholarship (Queen’s), Dickson Prize (Ottawa), Department of Justice of Canada fellowships, Donner Foundation fellowships, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal among others. As a lawyer, he has appeared before many federal hearings, the Federal and Supreme Courts of Canada, and the Parliament of Canada.