Scotiatrust®
For well over 100 years, Scotiatrust has helped Canadian families preserve and transfer their wealth.
Scotiatrust offers a full range of specialized services that are tailored to meet your personal objectives and designed to evolve across a variety of life stages and financial events. These services include:
- Estate and legacy planning
- Estate and trust services
- Philanthropic advisory
- Custody services
- Escrow services
Specifically, we have the expertise to:
- Be a fiduciary that you can appoint as a professional Executor, Attorney for Property, or Trustee
- Provide assistance if you have been appointed as an Executor, Attorney for Property, or Trustee
- Act as an independent, third-party Trustee to minimize family stress and mitigate potential conflicts
- Devise philanthropic solutions to support your charitable and legacy goals
- Set up an escrow arrangement to help reduce the risk for all parties involved
- Help investors and institutions consolidate and safeguard their assets
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Estate and legacy planning
Estate planning is about life – the life of your family and loved ones, and the satisfaction you derive by knowing that you are helping provide for their financial future.
A well-considered estate plan makes it easier for your family and loved ones to cope during a difficult time, whether it’s addressing your health care needs or settling your estate.
A comprehensive estate plan may help you:
- Protect, preserve and control your assets upon death and during any period of incapacity
- Provide a smooth transition of your wealth and property to your beneficiaries
- Plan for your future long-term care needs in the event of critical illness or disability
- Transition your business to family members or business partners in a tax-efficient way
- Support causes you are passionate about while reducing the impact of taxes
Your estate plan should reflect your current circumstances, family arrangements, and finances, and may change over time especially as life evolves and your needs change. It’s good practice to review your Will at least every three years or whenever a significant change occurs in your life, such as getting married or divorced, having a child or grandchild, retiring, or experiencing a significant health event.
Learn more about legacy planning with this video:
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- Protect, preserve and control your assets upon death and during any period of incapacity
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Our estate planning process
At Scotiatrust, we take a holistic approach to managing your estate and legacy plan. Starting with a personalized deep discovery process enables us to develop a clear picture of your priorities, aspirations, and financial situation. This information forms the basis for your customized estate and legacy plan that will guide your independent legal advisors in drafting your estate planning documents.
Working with our knowledgeable team of professionals can help ensure your financial affairs, or those that have been entrusted to you by a loved one, are securely managed now and in the future, giving you and your family enduring peace of mind.
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Power of attorney
A thoughtful estate plan should address not only the distribution of your assets at death, but also how your assets would best be managed in the event of future incapacity. Where appointed as your Executor, Scotiatrust may also be your best choice as Attorney (Mandatary in Quebec) for Property. If you are acting as an Attorney for Property, we can help relieve some of this burden by serving as your agent.
Appointing Scotiatrust as your Attorney for Property can help ensure that your financial affairs will be managed efficiently and with your best interests in mind. Once activated, our team will handle your day-to-day financial transactions, lifestyle responsibilities, accounting and reporting in such a way that aligns with regulatory responsibilities.
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Estate and trust services
When it comes time to implement your estate plan, we can help execute it according to your wishes. This can relieve you or your family from the emotional and administrative burden that is often associated with the duties of an Executor or Trustee. This way, your wealth will be protected through the day-to-day administration of your financial affairs (or those of a family member), and your assets will be transferred as outlined in your plan.
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Philanthropic advisory
Whether you’re thinking about your lifetime philanthropy or supporting your favourite causes as part of your estate plan, Scotiatrust can help. As the largest national service provider to personal and private foundations, we facilitate flexible and impactful philanthropy and help create meaningful charitable legacies for our clients.
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Custody services
With our custody services, we assist affluent investors and institutions in consolidating and safeguarding their assets.
We service the administration of financial assets, including but not limited to:
- Cash and money market instruments
- Government and corporate bonds, and other debt instruments
- Equities, rights and warrants
- Pooled and mutual fund units
As a longstanding and highly respected institution, Scotiatrust will work to keep your financial assets safe and efficiently manage the administration of your investments.
- Cash and money market instruments
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Escrow services
You may require an escrow agreement if you and another party need certain property to be held by an independent third party, referred to as the “escrow agent,” until certain conditions are agreed upon.
Property held in escrow could include:
- Cash
- Securities
- Insurance policies
- Real estate
- Powers of Attorney
Setting up an escrow arrangement helps reduce the risk for all parties involved, while also ensuring that financial or other obligations are properly met.
- Cash
Estate and trust services are provided by The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company.