Which asset is most likely to flow through a deceased person’s estate rather than pass...

A tenant-in-common interest does not automatically pass by survivorship to the co-owner. The deceased’s fractional interest usually forms part of the estate and is distributed under the will or intestacy rules. Option A generally passes to the surviving joint tenant by right of survivorship, subject to legal and beneficial-ownership issues. Option C ordinarily passes directly to the named beneficiary, outside the estate, unless the estate is named or the designation fails. Option D also generally passes to the named beneficiary and may receive tax-deferred treatment where the spouse is the qualified beneficiary and the transfer is structured correctly. The course issue is estate flow: ownership form and beneficiary designations determine whether probate, estate administration, creditor exposure, and will provisions apply. Planners must review legal title, beneficiary designations, registered-plan rules, trust arrangements, and provincial law before assuming an asset is or is not estate property. References/topics: estate assets, tenancy in common, joint ownership, beneficiary designations.

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