Estates Made Simple

76 Episodes

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The RRIF Tax Trap: When One Family Gets the Money and the Other Gets the Bill

2026-10-2829:26

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In Part 2 of this conversation on Estates Made Simple, Gordon continues with Aaron Hector of Tier Wealth to look at RRIFs, the new First Home Savings Account, and the mistakes that most often derail estate plans. Aaron explains how a successor annuitant on a RRIF “flips a switch” so the surviving spouse simply takes over. He also covers the rare case where naming a spouse as beneficiary instead opens up a final-year tax planning opportunity. Then comes a cauti...

Beneficiary or Successor Holder? Getting Your TFSA Right with Aaron Hector

2026-10-2832:54

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this episode of Estates Made Simple, Gordon sits down with Aaron Hector, financial planner and co-founder of Tier Wealth in Calgary, to tackle a topic that sounds technical but can change what your family receives: the difference between a beneficiary and a successor holder on your registered accounts. Most people tick a box on a bank form and never think about it again. Gordon and Aaron explain why that box matters. They cover what a beneficiary designatio...

Looking Back, Stepping Forward: Jenna’s Transition & What’s Next

2025-11-2623:15

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this special episode of the Estates Made Simple podcast, Gordon VanderLeek is joined one last time by long-time co-host Jenna Carvalho of Guardian Estate Company. After two and a half years and more than 70 episodes together, Jenna is stepping away from the podcast to focus on big projects in her business and a growing family. Gordon and Jenna use this transition as a chance to look back on what they’ve learned, what’s changing in the estate world, and what...

The Great Stork Derby: Canada’s Most Bizarre Estate Case

2025-11-1214:13

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this episode of Estates Made Simple, Gordon and Jenna take listeners back to one of Canada’s most famous, and frankly, most entertaining estate cases: the will of Charles Vance Miller. Known as a sharp lawyer and practical joker, Miller turned his own estate into a social experiment that sparked headlines, lawsuits, and even a movie. From gifting stock to people who opposed the companies to leaving a house jointly to enemies who had to live together, Miller...

Gifting While Alive: Navigating Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration

2025-10-2913:45

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this episode of Estates Made Simple, hosts Gordon VanderLeek and Jenna Carvalho deep dive into one of the more nuanced aspects of estate planning, gifting while someone is still alive under a power of attorney. When someone loses capacity and their power of attorney becomes active, what exactly can the appointed attorney do? Gordon and Jenna unpack the legal and ethical boundaries that govern financial and property decisions, exploring how these choices aff...

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