http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/j_poyser Most recent (7 days) columns en-gb Thu, 23 May 2013 16:04:38 CDT Gloria Taylor lived in British Columbia and suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease. She wanted the right to end her life on her own terms. That was going to be difficult. She did not want to end her own life while it had quality. The disease was going to rob her of that quality of life. She would be... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:04:37 CDT J. Paul Getty was born in 1892 into a wealthy oil family. He worked in the family business and, eventually, became fantastically wealthy in his own right. He was a playboy, and fell out of his father's favour as a result. He had to earn his fortune the hard way, by his own efforts. It went well Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:03:43 CDT Mark and Susan have young children. When it came time to do their wills, their lawyer asked, "Who should take over in the role of parents if the two of you die while the kids are underage?" For young families, that is often the most difficult decision during the will-making process. If you have Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:01:27 CST John's family plays the board game Monopoly at each and every family gathering. Birthday parties, Christmas, whatever -- the board game comes out. When it came time to make his will, John told his lawyer he had an idea. John had beautiful and valuable antique furniture. Could he have his nieces Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:09:30 CST Fred did a will before he died that appointed a friend to act as his executor. The will directed that his estate was to be divided between his two children. They were adults, but Fred thought he would do them a favour by letting his friend, Max, do the job. Max had already served as executor for Wed, 19 Dec 2012 03:16:08 CST Sam just signed his last will and testament. He is planning to leave his estate equally between his two children. One lives in Calgary and the other in Winnipeg. His lawyer asked him where he planned to store the original copy. Good question. There are a variety of popular and not-so-popular Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:25:34 CDT Jack inherited a house in British Columbia when he was a young man. It was a lovely old house on a quaint old street and the perfect place to raise a family. Eventually, the children moved out and his wife died. He lived on in the house as a widower, tending the garden each year while growing Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:22:03 CDT Jack is a devoted father. He has a disabled son, Phillip, and he is committed to securing the best possible future for him. Jack is likely going to die before his son does, and Jack knows that. His will carefully establishes a trust for Phillip. After Jack passes away, half of his estate will be Wed, 20 Jun 2012 03:16:35 CDT Jack normally paid approximately $40,000 a year in personal income taxes. He paid that amount, plus or minus, in 2008 and 2009. It was a little less in 2010 after he retired. In 2011, his personal income taxes jumped to $260,000, more than six times higher than in previous years. He did not get Wed, 16 May 2012 12:17:35 CDT Andrea dragged her husband, Brad, to a lawyer to get a will done. The two of them were in their early 30s. They had little in terms of assets and were busy with their first baby. The legal fee for a proper estate plan was going to set the two of them back $1,000 or so. It seemed like a waste. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:08:56 CDT