"When we were first starting out in our married lives we had dreams galore. It was just after the war and I remember we used to walk the dog through Rosedale imagining what it would be like to live there. By the time we had three little ones under six, we were dreaming about moving up from our small bungalow and giving each of our kids the chance to go to university. My husband built a very successful brokerage on Bay Street that allowed all of those dreams to come true and more. And now that we’re retired, we’re truly fortunate to be so comfortable. We each have substantial investment portfolios and active lives working with our respective charities. Jack thinks that I’m nuts to be trying to adjust our financial affairs at this point in time. He believes our kids and grandkids are going to get too much in the end. Just the other day he was grumbling about not wanting to be party to creating a bunch of lazy trust fund brats. "

      "Well, you could hardly call our kids that.  Frankly, I’d say our kids are struggling.  They have good jobs and reasonable incomes, but their property and income taxes are so much higher than when we were their age.  And they have the additional costs for private schools and camps.  Jack and I have always believed in contributing to society and we raised our kids to do the same.  Now I want to ensure that our grandchildren have the same opportunities we gave their parents."

      "The estate lawyer and financial professional we worked with at The Wealth Advisory understood right away that we wanted to help our family now when they need it the most, not just after we’re gone.  Our plan involved setting up a very simple trust and using my investments to better advantage.  Jack’s coming around to the idea that this is an “opportunity fund” for our grandkids.  It should help lighten the load on our children having to provide so much for their kids all at once.  Rather than turning them into a bunch of layabouts, I think it will help them get on with making their own contribution to society.  And maybe with the pressure off, they can dream a little dream of their own."