E042 Rose Johnson Good Reasons to Make a Will
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 42
Date: November 15, 2022
Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Rose Johnson (Expanding Minds) and Al Tordjman (Move That Body)
Start times and Segment Segments:
[0:00:38] What’s On Your Mind: It part of the Sammy travel series. She and John share a love of Montréal – an amazing city. They reminisce about experiences in Montréal they treasure.
[0:14:17] Expanding Minds Interview: [Economic Wellness] Rose Johnson talks about why you should make a will and, ideally, get help from a lawyer when you do that. We don’t like thinking about it, but we should get past that. We talk about what happens if a person dies without a Will, and what the process looks like when you work with a lawyer. What are some of the potential pitfalls lurking in the background? On our podcast, we’re trying to cover a range of topics that affect economic wellness. Getting finances in order is broader than earning and spending money. Making a Will is part of it.
[0:32:17] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron and his band, Shy Harry, ran into curveballs, a close call, then has a big save while performing at a wedding.
[0:37:08] Move That Body: We’ve heard the word pickleball. Today we learn more about it with Al Tordjman.
[0:42:08] Running Popup: It’s a driving popup today. John heard an interview on the Mike Farwell radio show with Dr. Jess Haines. It was concerning, because he heard that children these days are not getting much physical activity in every-day life. They’re not running around. They’re not moving enough.
[0:45:32] Flipside of the Coin: Sheila and John reminisce about something that happened on their 25th anniversary in 2012. They stopped by the restaurant where they met. They had both worked there at the time. They got an unexpected anniversary present when they arrived.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
John - Today’s show is not advice to our listeners. Rose and I are both lawyers, but we are not providing legal advice. Also, we are talking about what happens in Ontario, Canada. Things may be different in other jurisdictions. We hope that our discussion encourages you to get legal advice and make a will. If you work with a lawyer on your will, they will need to know your personal circumstances and your wishes.
Rose – I often get people quite concerned asking, do I need a lawyer to be my executor? I say you don’t need a lawyer or a banker or an accountant to be your executor, but I need someone who’s comfortable dealing with lawyers, bankers and accountants.
Rose – Will kits serve a purpose, in that for some people it’s a Band-Aid. It gives them some comfort in knowing they have something in place until they can see a lawyer to get help with a will. The will kits are only as good as the will kits. They try to be as broad as possible, but they miss a lot of situations. The average will kit doesn’t deal with things like blended families, tax planning, special needs children or beneficiaries, and many other situations. They can also lead to ambiguity.
Rose – if you die without a Will, you don’t control who gets your assets. You also don’t control who becomes the executor of your estate. Someone would need to apply to the Court to be appointed as estate trustee without a Will. They become authorized to deal with your estate and make your funeral arrangements. Nothing can happen without this appointment. You’re leaving yourself open to a person you did not expect acting as your estate trustee, and people you might not have wanted receiving your assets.
Cameron – The gig was a wedding, and as all weddings are it was just a beautiful time.
Cameron – We said go big or go home, and since we’re not home we’re going big. We brought it! The energy turned up to 11 and we played song right into song right into song. Banger after banger.
Al – I like to think of pickleball as full scale ping pong. You blow up the ping pong table and you’re standing on it. The racket is a paddle. The ball is like a whiffle ball – a little plastic ball with holes in it.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by John: There are some stories I won’t tell.
Guest Information: Rose Johnson is a lawyer with international law firm Gowling WLG, as is host John Webster. They’re not providing legal advice (or any advice) on the podcast. They to encourage listeners to make a will and seek legal advice to do so. Rose assists individuals, professionals, business owners and multi-generational families to develop and implement estate plans, to protect loved ones and reduce taxes payable. She works on succession plans to transfer family wealth to the next generation. She assists clients with substitute decision-making and mental incapacity planning through the use of powers of attorney and trusts. Rose is active in her community. She speaks to seniors about estate planning. She’s been a board member of numerous charitable organizations, including, YWCA of Kitchener-Waterloo, the Grand River Hospital Foundation, and Junior Achievement Of The Waterloo Region Inc.
Rose’s email: rose.johnson@gowlingwlg.com
Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together
Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie