Topic

Life situations & your will

How marriage, common-law cohabitation, separation, business ownership, and digital assets interact with testamentary planning in Canada.

10 guides in this topic.

How should Canadian business owners plan for their company in a will?
Private-corporation shares, sole-proprietorship assets, and partnership interests all pass through a will, but the drafting must respect shareholder agreements, buy-sell clauses, and tax realities unique to owner-managed businesses.
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How does marital status — marriage, separation, divorce — affect your will?
Marriage once revoked a prior will in every common-law province; today rules diverge, and separation without divorce can leave an estranged spouse with statutory entitlements the testator did not intend.
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Do common-law partners automatically inherit under Canadian intestacy laws?
Only British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories extend intestate succession rights to common-law partners meeting statutory cohabitation thresholds; elsewhere a common-law partner with no will receives nothing by default.
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Estate planning when you become a parent: guardians, accounts, and beneficiary forms
Parenthood changes who you protect and how fast assets might need to flow. Updating guardians, insurance, and plan beneficiaries is as important as updating the will itself.
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Life events that should send you back to your will and POAs
Marriage, separation, moves, new businesses, major debt, and beneficiary deaths are common triggers. Waiting for “retirement” alone misses most real-world changes.
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Homeowners: mortgages, title, and what the estate actually receives
Real estate may pass to a beneficiary subject to the mortgage or may be sold to pay debts. Clarity in the will reduces fights about who pays carrying costs during administration.
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How to talk about wills and powers of attorney without starting a fight
Timing, plain language, and a focus on logistics—not fairness debates—help families move from discomfort to documented instructions everyone can follow later.
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Spouses, second families, and blended households: planning tensions to surface early
Competing expectations between a new spouse and children from a prior relationship are a frequent source of litigation. Clear language beats optimistic assumptions.
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Indigenous estate planning: jurisdictional layers and why local counsel matters
Status, reserve land, band membership, and federal versus provincial rules can intersect with wills and intestacy. Generic templates may miss critical context.
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When is your situation too complex for an online will?
Online wills work well for the majority of Canadians. A few situations benefit from a lawyer's review — usually because of trusts, blended-family obligations, or non-Canadian assets.
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How should Canadian business owners plan for their company in a will?

How does marital status — marriage, separation, divorce — affect your will?

Do common-law partners automatically inherit under Canadian intestacy laws?

Estate planning when you become a parent: guardians, accounts, and beneficiary forms

Life events that should send you back to your will and POAs

Homeowners: mortgages, title, and what the estate actually receives

How to talk about wills and powers of attorney without starting a fight

Spouses, second families, and blended households: planning tensions to surface early

Indigenous estate planning: jurisdictional layers and why local counsel matters

When is your situation too complex for an online will?