What is the difference between a will and a trust?

A will takes effect at death and goes through probate; it's public and court-supervised. A trust can take effect during your lifetime or at death, and properly-structured living trusts can avoid probate, manage incapacity, and provide ongoing structure for beneficiaries.

— Wills & Estates · Surrey, BC

Estate planning for clients who think beyond their own lifetime.

Wills, trusts, probate, and the careful work of ensuring your intentions outlast you — and that your wealth passes cleanly to the people you choose, in the way you choose.

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(778) 262-2835

Your first 30 minutes are free. A confidential conversation about protecting what you have built — every conversation is privileged.

— Overview

The quiet, careful work of protecting a legacy.

GSG's estates practice covers the full arc: will drafting, trust structures, powers of attorney and representation agreements, probate applications, and the administration of estates after a death. For business owners, we integrate the corporate succession plan with the personal estate plan, so neither undermines the other.

Estate plans drift out of date as life changes — marriages, births, sales, a death in the family. We review with clients on a defined cadence so the plan remains current with the life it is meant to reflect.

— What we handle

Wills & estates services.

I.Wills & will drafting

II.Family & alter-ego trusts

III.Probate applications

IV.Estate administration

V.Powers of attorney

VI.Representation agreements

VII.Estate freezes & succession

VIII.Multiple wills for business owners

— Common questions

What clients usually ask first.

Do I need a will if I'm married and own everything jointly?+

Yes. Joint assets pass to the survivor outside the will, but everything held solely (RRSPs without designated beneficiaries, business interests, personal property, after-acquired assets) still passes through your estate. Without a will, BC's intestacy rules dictate who gets what — and the result rarely matches what people assume.

What's the difference between a will and a trust?+

A will takes effect at death and goes through probate; it's public and court-supervised. A trust can take effect during your lifetime (inter vivos) or at death (testamentary), and properly-structured living trusts can avoid probate, manage incapacity, and provide ongoing structure for beneficiaries who shouldn't inherit outright.

How do I avoid probate fees in BC?+

BC charges roughly 1.4% on estates over $50,000. Common strategies include alter-ego trusts (for those 65+), joint tenancy on real property, beneficiary designations on registered accounts and insurance, and multiple wills for private-company shares. Each has tax and family-law trade-offs we model before recommending.

Can my will be challenged after I'm gone?+

Yes. BC's Wills, Estates and Succession Act allows spouses and children to vary a will if they weren't adequately provided for. We draft with this exposure in mind — using non-probate structures, documenting reasoning, and where appropriate, taking steps during your lifetime to reduce the estate's wills-variation footprint.

— How it runs

Four stages, in order.

Understand

What you own, how it is held, who depends on you, and what you actually want to happen. Business interests, property in more than one name, and blended families change the answer considerably.

UNDERSTAND

Structure

The plan is built: a will, and where it fits, trusts, ownership changes, beneficiary designations and powers of attorney. Structure is what determines whether the plan survives contact with reality.

STRUCTURE

III

Document

Documents are drafted and executed to the formal requirements. Wills fail on execution more often than on content, and a will that is challenged on a technicality helps nobody.

DOCUMENT

Review

A plan written for the life you had ten years ago is not a plan. Marriage, separation, a death, a new child, a business sale or a move between provinces all warrant a look.

REVIEW

Do I need a lawyer to make a will, or is an online template enough?+

A template can produce a valid will for a genuinely simple estate. The difficulty is that most people do not know whether theirs is simple. Property held in joint names, a business interest, a blended family, a beneficiary who cannot manage money, or assets outside British Columbia all break the assumptions a template is built on. The cost of getting it wrong lands on people who are not there to argue about it.

What does estate planning actually involve?+

More than a will. It usually means looking at how assets are owned, what beneficiary designations are already in place on registered accounts and insurance, whether a trust is appropriate, and who will act for you if you lose capacity while still alive. The will is the last step, not the whole exercise.

When does a trust make sense?+

Trusts earn their complexity in specific situations: providing for someone who cannot manage money themselves, holding assets for minor children, keeping a business interest intact across a generation, planning around capacity loss, or where privacy matters. For a straightforward estate a trust often adds cost without adding protection, and we will say so.

Administering an estate after a death? See probate and estate administration. If an estate is being disputed, see inheritance and estate disputes.

— Client experiences

5.0 ★★★★★ Google Reviews

★★★★★

"Very knowledgeable, in my case real estate transactions and estate planning. Attention to detail was solid even though performed in a expedited time frame. Was impressed, glad to have them in this community."

Chad Woodward

Google Review

★★★★★

"I had a great experience with GSG Law Firm. The team was professional, knowledgeable, and responsive throughout the entire process. They took the time to explain everything clearly, kept me informed at every stage, and made me feel confident that my case was in good hands. I highly recommend GSG Law Firm to anyone looking for reliable, trustworthy, and effective legal representation."

Vinni Nagpal

Google Review

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— Begin

Start your estate plan.

Tell us briefly what you would like to protect. The first 30 minutes are free.