Family Trust
Family Trust — All content on The Advisors Table.
Episodes
SoloFamily Trusts Explained: Why The Wealthy Never Gift Their Kids Anything
Why wealthy Canadian families never put assets in their kids' names, how a family trust actually works, and the timing decision worth $1.3 million.
- RRSP
- Tax Benefits
- Business Sale
SoloDo You Actually Need A Holding Company?
How a holding company can reduce taxes, protect assets, and improve long-term planning for some Canadians – while creating unnecessary cost and complexity for others.
- Holding Company
- Holdco Structure
- LCGE
SoloCRA Takes 54% Of Your RRSP When You Die (Unless You Do This)
How a $1 million RRSP can create a $500,000+ tax bill at death – and the little-known planning strategy that may help families keep far more of their wealth.
- RRSP
- Family Trust
- Beneficiary Designations
SoloYour Family Can Save 12K A Year Through This Tax Strategy
How Canada's 3% prescribed-rate trust strategy can legally shift investment income to children – but new AMT rules may now reduce or even reverse the tax savings.
- Family Trust
- Tax Planning
SoloEstate Planning Explained: Will vs. Trust In Canada
How wills, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and trusts actually control your assets in Canada – and why many families discover critical estate planning gaps only after a crisis occurs.
- Estate Planning
- Family Trust
- Income Splitting
EpisodeCanada Wants $500K to Let You Leave | Majority, Exit Tax, Bare Trusts
How majority government power, headline tax cuts, and hidden compliance rules can quietly cost Canadians far more than they realize.
- Business Sale
- Trust Planning
- Family Trust
GuestIs Your Accountant Actually Helping You?
How financial planning, tax strategy, and the right advisory team come together to build long-term wealth.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
GuestThe IRS And CRA Double Tax Trap For Canadians
What no one tells you about the million-dollar tax traps, IRS penalties, and the entity mismatch that can bankrupt your investment.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeImmigration Tax Traps That Cost Thousands
What no one tells you about foreign assets, worldwide income, and the CRA penalties that can wipe out your savings.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
SoloCRA’s 2026 Rule Punishes You For Helping Family
How Canada's proposed bare trust reporting rules could impose costly filing requirements and penalties on ordinary family arrangements – even when no tax is owed.
- Family Trust
- CRA Audit
- CRA Powers
GuestMost Wills Fail. Here's Why
Why most wills fail in Canada – not due to drafting, but because they become outdated, clash with laws, and fail to reflect real family and asset changes over time and across jurisdictions
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeYour Business Partner Can Take Everything
How business partnerships that start with shared vision and ownership can unravel over time — often due to shareholder agreements, misaligned incentives, and structural decisions made at the beginning
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
SoloHe Lost $5M To The CRA Because He Trusted His Accountant
How the wrong advisors can create hidden tax risks, derail due diligence, and even kill a business sale – costing owners millions before the deal ever closes.
- Trust Planning
- Family Trust
- CRA Audit
EpisodeShould Your Money Live in a Corporation or Personally?
Most people focus on what to invest in – but where you invest matters far more, shaping taxes, growth, and long-term after-tax wealth over time.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeHelping Your Kids? CRA Takes a Cut
Why “gifts” can create tax exposure for parents.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeBeing An Executor Can Cost You Personally
How choosing an executor is far more than an administrative decision – and how personal liability, CRA reassessments, and estate risks can last years.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeCRA Bill That Destroys Wealth After Divorce
Why family law, tax rules, and poor documentation can turn parental help into an unintended wealth transfer.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeThe Audit Machine – What 53,000 CRA Employees Are Actually Doing
How CRA's growing audit machine uses data, automation, and aggressive enforcement tactics to identify risks, escalate reviews, and collect billions beyond regular tax filings.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeLeaving Canada? Here’s What The CRA Wants You To Know
What tax residency, departure tax, and cutting ties really mean when you move abroad.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeThe $10M Tax Bill When A Business Owner Dies
How one founder built a $50M company but left his family exposed to over $10 million in tax, probate delays, and succession chaos due to missing estate planning.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
EpisodeCRA Voluntary Disclosure Program 2025 Explained | What's Changed & What It Means
How Canada’s updated Voluntary Disclosure Program changes the way unreported income, foreign assets, and tax filings are treated — and who still qualifies for relief under the new CRA rules.
- Estate Planning
- Business Sale
- Corporate Reorganization
Posts
Should You Put Assets In Your Kids' Names? Why Wealthy Canadian Families Never Do
Wealthy Canadian families almost never put assets in their kids' names. Here's why, how a family trust works instead, and the timing decision worth $1.3 million.
Do You Need A Holding Company In Canada? The 5 Signs
A holding company can save hundreds of thousands in tax – or add needless complexity. Learn the five signs it makes sense, from surplus cash and investments to asset protection and business sales.
The RRSP Trap: Why CRA Takes 54% Of Your RRSP When You Die (And How To Stop It)
A $1 million RRSP can trigger a $540,000 tax bill at death. Learn the little-known strategy that can legally reduce that tax burden and preserve more wealth for your family.
The 3% Trick: How High-Income Canadian Families Legally Pay Less Tax On Investment Income
A legal 3% trust strategy can help high-income Canadian families shift investment income to children and save thousands in tax – but new AMT rules may now turn those savings into costly surprises.
Will vs. Trust: Which One Actually Controls Your Assets In Canada?
Most Canadians think their will controls everything they own – but beneficiary designations, joint ownership, probate, and tax rules often determine where assets actually go.
The Tax Rule That Punishes Canadians for Helping Family — And What You Can Do About It
New CRA bare trust filing catches family bank accounts, joint titles, crypto held for relatives—$50K penalties even if you owe $0 tax. Bill C-15 passed House, Senate next. Sign petition + download checklist before 2026 tax year.
3 CRA Powers Coming in 2026 That Every Canadian Needs to Know
The CRA's new 2026 audit powers — compelled sworn testimony with no transcript, $50/day penalties without a court, and reassessment clocks frozen indefinitely. Here are the three every Canadian needs to understand.
One Mistake Killed His $5M Deal — Why the Wrong Team Destroys Business Sales
Selling your business? One wrong hire and hidden tax traps can kill the deal. Why regular accountants fail at business-exit tax planning — and how to build the deal team that protects your sale.
$800K Tax Bill That Should’ve Been $0 — The 5 Mistakes That Cost This Business Owner Everything
Discover the 5 critical errors that turned a $0 tax bill into an $800K disaster for a business owner. Learn how to protect your company from CRA reassessments, audits, and massive penalties.
Visual Guides
The Power Of A Family Trust
Same business. Same sale. Same CRA rules. The only difference is how the shares were held. Without a trust: $1,275,000 sheltered through LCGE. With a family trust and three kids: up to $3,825,000 sheltered. The math speaks for itself.
Same $1M RRSP, $390,000 Difference
Same $1M RRSP. Same family. $390,000 difference.
CRA Takes 54% Of Your RRSP When You Die
CRA can take 54% of your RRSP when you die. Not your business. Not your real estate. The retirement savings you built one paycheque at time. Here's what almost nobody tells you: your entire RRSP lands on your final tax return as income, all in one year. On a $1M RRSP, combined with the deemed disposition on the rest of your estate, the tax can hit $540,000. But there's a provision in the Income Tax Act that can redirect your RRSP to a minor child or grandchild, taxed at their rate instead of yours. It can drop the total tax to around $150,000. That's a $390,000 difference. Same RRSP. Same family. Same law.
Will Vs. Trust Explained
Most Canadian think their will handles everything. It doesn't. Your RRSP goes to whoever is on the beneficiary form. Your jointly-owned house goes to the surviving owner. Your will? It only controls what's left over. Here's what a will CAN'T do: • Save you tax • Control when your kids get their money • Help if you're incapacitated • Protect assets from creditors A family trust does all of that. And the difference can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
5 Signs You Actually Need A Holding Company
Not everyone needs a holding company – but for the right person, it can save hundreds of thousands in tax and protect everything you've built. Here are 5 signs it might be time to consider one.
Why The Wealthy Never Gift Their Kids Anything
The wealthiest families in Canada almost never put anything in their kids' names. Not the company. Not the property. Not the investments. It isn't because they don't trust their kids. It's because a gift is the one financial move you can never take back. Swipe for what they do instead, and the $1.3 million difference it made for one family.