Prearranged funerals protect family members In the last few years, more and more people are including funeral prearrangeâ€" ments in their estate planning. Decisions made in advance of need can be made with less haste and without the anxiety which accompanies a death when newsâ€" paper deadlines, transportation, and last minute decisions have to be made and carried out. A prearranged funeral in Ontario can be made only through a licensed funeral A G@UllDbE to Es euanninese PiReâ€"ARRANGL Ilona Kopriva Rudy Kopriva Neill Taylor service establishment. All monies paid to the establishment must be deposited in a trust account, in accordance with provincial legislation. The funds are refundable upon writâ€" ten request to the funeral home. If the agreement is canceled prior to the time of need, the funeral director may charge an administration fee in an amount preâ€" scribed by the legislation. This fee may offset some of the time which was spent Friends Who Listen... Friends You Can Rely On Today And Tomorrow (Inderstanding your needs has helped us to provide quality funeral services to the Oakville Community for over twenty years. Conveniently located, our new facility offers comfortable rooms and comprehensive services for all your family needs. Oakville‘s Independent Funeral Home Ample Parking We are professionals, but may seem more like good friends, at a time when you need friends the most. People You Know,... 64 Lakeshore Road West (Between Kerr St. Wilson St.) COMMUNITY FUNERAL HOME by the funeral director in administering funds and for the auditing of the funds which is mandatory under provincial law. Prearrangementâ€"can be made in a number of ways â€" depositing the full sum of money at once, installment payâ€" ments, or by merely recording your wishes and preferences to be carried out at the time of death, with the cost to be paid by your estate or nextâ€"ofâ€"kin. We would caution against recording your wishes only in your will. It may not be easily available when needed. Your family or friends should be informed of any prearrangements you have made. As any chartered accountant will tell you, you can achieve precisely those results with a little advance planning and some upâ€"dated information on probate fees. Would you pass up an opportunity to save thousands of dollars? Would you pass up the chance to ensure that as much of your estate as possible goes to your heirs and as little as possible goes to the taxman? Last summer, the revenueâ€"strapped province of Ontario reaffirmed the bond between death and taxes by raising probate fees dramatically. Since all other provinces also face mounting deficits, it‘s a safe bet they may soon follow suit. Such a move could cost your estate and your beneficiaries thousands. Probate fees are costs related to the process of proving before a court that a docâ€" ument is the last will and testament of a deceased person. It‘s necessary to probate a will so that assets can be transferred to heirs as stipulated by the deceased. Until last year, Ontario charged a probate fee of $5 per $1,000 of assets subject to probate. Effective June 8, 1992, however, probate fees climbed to $15 per $1,000 of assets in excess of $50.000. The old, lower rate still applies to the first $50,000 of (See ‘Simple‘ on page 17) Careful planning can ease the impact of probate fees For the FREE booklet "Planning Ahead" send the attached coup Planning cemetery arrangements ahead, spares your family from difficult decisions at a stressful and emotional time. Protect your family, take care of your personal wishes and enjoy peace of mind knowing you‘ve done everything possible today, for tomorrow. Plan ahead. For your children. And their children. Planning today, for tomorrow Glen Oaks Memorial Gardens serving the Oakville area Three good reasons to plan ahead. Your will is an extremely important document and should be drawn up with legal counsel. This is another instance where preplanning can save needless misunderstanding and expense. mt on or call 2571100