It’s a good idea to update your will every five years since everyone’s personal situation keeps changing. Maybe you were married, separated, had a child or moved to the other side of the country; the possibilities are endless. If you are a parent, it is especially important to have a legal professional look at your will to ensure that your children will be taken care of in the event of your death.
With the divorce rate in Canada hovering at around 40%, it is not surprising to see that blended families and second marriages are becoming more common. The 2016 Canadian Census shows that one in 10 children live in stepfamilies, an arrangement that can cause complications from an estate planning perspective if the parents don’t take the time to update their will to reflect that change.
Many stepparents treat a stepchild as one of their own, especially if the child is young when their biological parent and stepparent got together. But if one or both of the parents were to die, the stepchild may be denied the inheritance you intended to leave them if you didn’t take the steps necessary.
Many people will change homes in their lifetime, in pursuit of job opportunities or for personal reasons. If you cross a provincial border, the rules governing estate succession may be different than in the province where you drew up your will. If you move to another country, you definitely need to make changes to your estate planning to reflect that change.
If you have children, you should designate someone to act as their guardian in the event of your death. If your child was quite young when you drew up your will, it might be that guardian is not the person you want in the position five or 10 years later.
The same situation applies to the appointment of an executor. Perhaps you have grown apart from the person you first appointed and you wish to have another friend or family member in that important role. If your executor has moved to another country, they will have to go through additional steps and expenses to fulfill their responsibilities, which is a good reason to re-evaluate who is in this role.
If your marriage ends in a divorce, that does not invalidate your will, though the provisions that refer to your spouse are revoked. This means they can no longer be your executor, trustee or guardian, and any gifts you left to them will go to someone else. A divorce is also an appropriate opportunity to reconsider beneficiary designations on any insurance products, RRSPs, TFSAs and financial products.
Starting in 2022, marriages will no longer invalidate a signed will, thanks to the passage of Bill 245, the Accelerating Access to Justice Act. It repealed the provision in the Succession Law Reform Act that automatically revoked a will upon marriage. It also eliminates property rights on death when spouses have separated but not divorced and is applicable whether the deceased dies with or without a will.
If you enter into a common-law relationship, keep in mind your partner is not recognized in Ontario for the purposes of succession unless you have amended your will to provide for them. A surviving common-law spouse has no right to the estate you leave behind, though they may make a claim for dependant support.
If a person you have designated as a beneficiary dies before you do, you should consider amending the will to remove any reference to them and to reallocate your gifts. If not, the gift will be transferred to the residue of the estate.
Life is constantly changing and your will needs to reflect those altered circumstances.
Thanks for reading and have a great day,