The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning : Everything You Need to Know Today to Protect Your Wealth and Your Family Tomorrow

An informative, practical guide ... The authors ... cover all the bases.

-- The National Post

A comprehensive and in-depth guide, covering all the nuts and bolts of estate planning ...

-- Good Times magazine, Montreal

We all know we need a will. And in these uncertain times, it seems even more essential to have our affairs in order. So, why do two-thirds of Canadians still die without a will, without a plan for passing on their wealth and possessions?

In The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning Canada's bestselling lawyer and accountant team provide you with the insights and authoritative guidance you need to ensure your family and your assets are protected today and tomorrow.

Through practical checklists, real-life examples, answers to frequently-asked questions and a glossary of common terms, Douglas Gray, LL.B., and John Budd, F.C.A., cover it all. In this easy-to-read guide, they provide reliable advice on a myriad of topics including guardianship, powers of attorney, trusts, probate, small and family businesses, charitable giving, tax planning, insurance and much more.

Completely updated to reflect the latest changes in legislation and taxation practices, including changes in the capital gains tax and trust laws, The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning also covers topics such as:

* Selecting retirement residences and nursing homes

* Preparing a will that can't be contested

* Avoiding family feuds and spousal disputes

* Taking advantage of the latest opportunities to reduce the taxes on your estate

Don't let the government be your principal beneficiary - Take the time to plan ahead!

Douglas Gray, LL.B., is a Vancouver-based expert on estate and retirement planning. Formerly a practicing lawyer, he is now a consultant, speaker, columnist and author of 20 bestselling business and personal finance books, including the “Top 10 National Best-seller,” The Canadian Snowbird Guide.
Many of these books have been published in other languages and adapted for foreign jurisdictions. Douglas has also designed a real estate investment software program for McGraw-Hill Ryerson and he is a regular expert contributor on personal finances issues for various internet sites and CD-ROM products, including Microsoft Money and QuickTax – Home and Business. He is also a regular contributor to the Microsoft Canada Small Business web site and the Microsoft Network Canadian Financial Centre web site.
Douglas has given seminars to over 250,000 people nationally and internationally in his various areas of expertise.
Frequently interviewed by the media as an authority on personal finance and retirement matters, Douglas has appeared many times on various CBC, CTV and Global TV programs. He has been a regular columnist for Profit, Computer Paper, Canadian Computer Wholesaler, Canada News and Forever Young and a nationally syndicated columnist for Southam Press. He has also been a periodic contributor to the Globe and Mail, House and Home, Macleans, Good Times, CARP News, Canadian Moneysaver, Adviser’s Edge and The Successful Investor.
Douglas is the President of the Canadian Retirement Planning Institute Inc. This organization offers objective educational programs nationally on a wide range of issues related to personal finance, tax, estate planning and retirement planning. Programs are designed for those primarily 45 years of age and over who are planning for, or in, retirement and Snowbirds.
Douglas lives with his wife in Vancouver.

John S. Budd, F.C.A., is a financial and investment advisor in Toronto. He is a Partner of Cumberland Asset Management Corp., where he manages investment portfolios for affluent individuals, holding companies, trusts and charitable foundations, located within Canada, the U.S. and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Accountant. He has specialized in the area of tax and estate planning for more than 25 years and has served as an investment and tax advisor to some of Canada’s most affluent individuals and families. In addition to providing tax and estate planning services to the clients of Deloitte & Touche for 18 years, he served as national leader of their Estate Planning Specialty Group.
He is the author of Second Property Strategies, a bestselling book on capital gains tax planning for vacation properties and second residences. He was also the editor and co-author of Deloitte & Touche’s Canadian Guide to Personal Financial Management and a contributor for 15 years to How to Reduce the Tax You Pay. He has also authored and instructed a number of tax courses for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, including CICA Personal Tax and Estate Planning, Using Trusts in Tax Planning, and CICA Advanced Tax Issues.
John has been a guest speaker and/or Chair of many tax conferences and seminars for the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Strategy Institute, Insight Conferences, and other organizations. He has written numerous articles and has been frequently quoted by the media in the Globe and Mail, Financial Post, and National Post Magazine, and has appeared several times on CBC Business World.
He is the incoming President of the Toronto Estate Planning Council, of which he has been a member since 1979. He is also a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. In 1991, John was honoured by the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants by being named a Fellow of the Institute.
John and his wife Susan live in Toronto with their three sons, Michael, Christopher and Steven.