Disability And Estate Planning Seminar For Parents And Families

Wow!

What more can I say?
An absolutely fabulous seminar put on by the Down Syndrome Society today. Kudos and many thanks to the Society for bringing in Mr. Kenneth Pope, an Ottawa lawyer who has a nation-wide practice devoted to trusts and disability issues.

I thought I knew most of this stuff. I really did!
Well, it turned out I knew some, but by no means, it all.

With discussions on

• the Child Disability Benefit portion of the Child Tax Credit;
  
• the Disability Tax Credit [did you know that you might well be able to claim it for a child with a learning disabiltity?];
  
• the Child Supplement to the Disability Tax Credit;
  
• the Caregiver Credit;
  
• ways to increase the Provincial benefits for your child over age 18 if he continues to reside at home with you);
  
• Henson Trusts [the particular type of trust you need to use to leave monies to your child in your Will if you don't want provincial benefits clawed back];
  
• what type of Life Insurance on your life will be most beneficial to your disabled child after your death; and
  
• the new Registered Disability Savings Plan

well, let's just say that Mr. Pope just gave me months of blogging material!

Personally, I've just learned about quite a few tax credits I haven't been claiming [both for one of my children and my mother]. And that I can now go back and open up for those claims, where appropriate, for the past ten years. Among many other things.

So stay tuned. There should be very some interesting stuff coming your way.

Update: For those that missed this great seminar, there is an upcoming "Disability Tax Credit Information Session" being offered at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS, on Wednesday, November 13, 2007. Its being offered as part of a "Health Professionals: Lunch and Learn" series between 12-1:30 that day and later in the evening between 7:00 -8:30 as a "Parent Session". The speaker will be a representative from the Canada Revenue Agency.

As good as the "Disability and Estate Planning Seminar"??
I seriously doubt it. But if you missed the boat, so to speak, there does appear to be another canoe leaving the dock next month.