There are no easy goodbyes.

 October 16, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
I’ve shared lots of lists and counsel about the practical aspects of settling an estate, drafting a will, and clearly communicating your ‘in-the-event-of’ plans. But there’s no practical or pragmatic plan that prepares us for the inevitable passing of...
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When to ask these really tough questions

 July 10, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
I wish I could make these questions easier to ask, and easier to answer. I can’t do that. But I can prompt you, encourage you, remind you, and make some suggestions. I can invite you to ask and answer them this summer. When the air is still, in a quiet...
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Will they fight over the china?

 July 03, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
Is a teacup really worth fighting over? Throughout spring I’ve been writing and talking about the many practical aspects of estate planning. I’ve shared several lists of details, duties, tasks and responsibilities. (Read past estate planning articles...
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Executors and POA: when to go ‘pro’

 June 26, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
Carrying out the roles of Executor and Power of Attorney are big jobs, with many layers of responsibility, accountability and personal liability, and can be a tremendous burden for those who are dealing, at the same time, with emotions of grief and loss...
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The ONE mistake executors keep making!

 June 19, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
Here’s a refresher: an executor is an individual (typically it’s an individual, but it can be an institution like a trust company) named in a document called a Will, who, in being named, becomes responsible for administering the estate according to the...
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Are you prepared to be POA?

 June 12, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
POA. Power of Attorney. Except that often the P stands for PANIC and the A stands for AVOID. I am – as are many of my friends - at a stage of adulting when my role as Power of Attorney is feeling more real and more onerous than on that day I said “yes”...
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The Assets Nobody Thinks About

 May 07, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
In a recent Estate Planning post, I wrote about some of the many duties your assigned Executor will be responsible for. One of the crucial activities I listed was “Locating, safeguarding and itemizing assets - including digital assets: special blog post...
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More than documents: Avoid conflict with these Essential Conversations

 April 30, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
Over the last few weeks I’ve shared thoughts and information around some of the technical aspects of estate planning and where I’ve seen many people come up short (see links below). I broke open the can of worms with the alarming statistic that fewer...
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Estate Executor: Honour or Burden?

 April 24, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
Once upon a time it was an honour to be named the executor or executrix to an estate. The position was bestowed upon a family member or close friend who was considered smart, dependable, and trustworthy. Things really have changed and are much more complicated...
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Who will walk in your shoes, if you can’t?

 April 16, 2019 |Colleen O’ Connell-Campbell
As a business owner, entrepreneur, manager, boss – you know how hard it is to find a ‘perfect hire’. Full-time, part-time, even a supplier you can trust and rely on, it takes some thought to work through the goals, the roles and the skills you want your...
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