German-Canadian Estate Planning

Services

We advise German-Canadian families, Germans with assets in Canada and Canadians with assets in Germany on estate planning, taking into account the tax consequences. If necessary, we work together with our partner law firms or our clients' personal advisors. The means of planning are, for example,

• Last Will and Testament;
• joint accounts with right of survivor (e.g. joint tenancy);
• joint tenancy;
• contract in favor of third parties in the event of death (regarding credit balances at banks in Germany);
• life insurance;
• Canadian (tax-advantaged) retirement plans (e.g. RRIF, RRSP);
• Canadian pension plan (pension plan);
• Canadian (tax-advantaged) savings plans (e.g. TFSA);
• Durable power of attorney (durable power, health care proxy), living will;
• Lifetime gifts (with a retained life estate /  usufruct); and
• Canadian trusts.

Locations and remote advice

We provide personal advice in Berlin. Otherwise, we advise throughout Germany using remote communication tools (Zoom, telephone, email). In most cases, this is also completely sufficient for our clients' concerns. If we think that personal advice makes sense, we will let you know!