What is Artie?
Over the almost 7 years I’ve been at RBC DS, Royal Trust has become one of my most valued partners. Their services have been a game-changer for a number of clients and it has been very satisfying for me to hear that appointing Royal Trust as Corporate Executor & Corporate Power of Attorney (for property) has given so many, tremendous peace of mind.
I wrote an article about this very subject back in November of 2021 (see here). Since then I’ve continued to hear stories from clients who’ve had to perform the thankless executor tasks and they were shocked by how much time and work was required. For the most part, I’m not referring to an estate rolling over from one spouse to another – as that can be a lot more straightforward.
Royal Trust has developed a new (free) tool called “Artie, the executor helper”. In my opinion this is something that will help countless people who are not already familiar with the complexities involved in an Executor role. If you know you are a named Executor, or if you are being asked to become one, I invite you to create an Artie account (direct link above) to determine if this is something you can handle.
As it states on the main page, “it can take around 18 months, with as many as 70 different tasks, to settle even a simple estate. As an executor, you’ll have to probate the Will (if necessary), protect and distribute assets, pay outstanding debts and taxes, and prepare a final accounting for the beneficiaries of the estate.” This doesn’t even scratch the surface.
If you choose to name a Corporate Executor, you can easily make a relative or friend (with their consent of course), a co-Executor (in the secondary role). This tends to be quite common with those of my clients that have appointed Royal Trust **.
Under the Royal Trust section (above) if you click on the link, it will take you to their home page where you can choose “Resources”. I’ve made that link live here, for your convenience. Not only will you find “Artie” there, but all sorts of estate related topics as well.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Libby
** I am not compensated by Royal Trust or RBC Dominion Securities when I refer clients to Royal Trust.
