What do I do if an heir hunter wants me to sign a contract?

An heir hunter is a person who finds beneficiaries of an estate. As with any business, there's a mix of honest ones and self-interested ones. As this type of service is common in the US but less so here in Canada, I thought I'd post this article I saw today from www.heirsearch.com. It might just help someone who gets a call from a less-than-completely-honest member of the profession who presses them to sign a contract. Click here to read the article.

Parents, don't let your money spoil the kids

There is a good article in today's Globe and Mail that talks about how wealthy parents talk - or don't talk as the case may be - to their children about money. Click here to read the article.

I was particularly interested in the part of the article that covered the concept of making sure the children understand that any inheritance left to them is a gift and not an entitlement. I whole-heartedly agree that this is something the kids should be brought to realize, but I also know it's just not the norm in our society. The sense of entitlement that I see in families of every economic bracket is very strong.

In any event, the article was interesting and thought-provoking, and will make a great read if you are wondering what you should be telling your children about the family finances.

8 estate planning lessons from "Downton Abbey"

Downton Abbey is a huge hit, and I'm one of its most devoted fans. As an estate-planning lawyer, I've always secretly loved the fact that the main story line for this show derives from a derailed estate plan. So far, the fall-out from Lord Grantham's failed estate plan has taken up three seasons!

I was pleasantly surprised to find an article today talking about the estate planning lessons we can learn from this wonderful show. Hopefully the lessons to be gleaned from it will help the rest of us wind up our own estates in less than three seasons.  Click here to read the article from www.lifehealthpro.com .

Photo credit: AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film and Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE, Nick Briggs.