The Last Estate

By Murtaza Adamjee

Soberman LLP Chartered Accounts was established in 1958 in Toronto, Ontario. Since its establishment, Soberman LLP has grown to become one of the premier chartered accounting firms in Canada, offering a number of services and resources.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Slezak, a partner with Soberman’s Tax Minimization Group and a member of the Executive of the Toronto Estate Planning Council, to discuss her extensive background in trust and estate planning. Through her experience, Karen has had the opportunity to advise high net worth business owners in trust and estate planning, and family owners involved in planning for privately held business, succession, and next generation wealth transfer.

Essentially, estate planning is an organized plan to transfer and preserve wealth to your family and beneficiaries; it is structured to deal with minimizing taxes on your death, minimizing taxes paid on your estate, and assisting with post-death planning.

In comparison to other accounting firms, Soberman LLP specializes in a number of complex estate planning services including families with children living in the United States or vice versa. Cross border estate assignments present a number of challenges, further complicating the process. In an area where many others aren’t skilled, Soberman LLP uses a holistic approach taking into account both short-term and long-term needs to provide clients with a wide range of professional services. Soberman LLP pays particular attention to estate planning, placing an emphasis on its importance with all of its clients.

Estate planning at Soberman LLP is designed to meet the ongoing needs of its clients. Soberman’s competitive advantage rests in the fact that its partners are client driven, and first seek to understand clients’ needs in order to provide what makes sense. By working with clients to form quality relationships, partners are able to provide more personal attention to solve all the underlying issues at hand. As Karen put it, “Soberman isn’t just a bunch of number crunchers in a backroom” – partners look to form quality relationships with clients of various backgrounds and different needs.

To end our conversation, Karen was able to provide me with a few tips and insights on estate planning. She insists that although death may be a sticky subject for many people, it is one that is inevitable for all. Don’t shy away from it; the sooner you plan for it, the easier the process. A well-structured living document is an ongoing process that should be frequently reviewed with the dynamic nature of life’s changes. As your circumstances change, so might your needs. As such, Soberman Estate Planning strives to provide their clients with the highest level of professional integrity in order to provide comprehensive, client-focused service.