Lawyers get you the money — then it is on you to invest it wisely and protect your benefits. We help you turn a personal-injury, WSIB, disability or wrongful-dismissal award into lasting security.
Whatever kind of award you received, the planning is the same: make it last, and protect what you rely on
Invest a tax-free injury award for decades of income and protect any disability or income-tested benefits you depend on.
Structure an MVA settlement so it covers ongoing care and replaces lost earning capacity rather than draining in a few years.
Make a WSIB lump sum last and coordinate it with your other benefits so one source doesn't undercut another.
Separate the taxable back-pay and retiring-allowance portions, use available RRSP room, and deploy the rest with a plan.
Turn a long-term-disability lump sum into reliable income while keeping eligibility for the support programs you still need.
Model a structured settlement against taking the cash, side by side, so the lock-in-versus-control trade-off is on paper.
Most of the long-term outcome is set in the first few months — here is where it gets decided
This is the first fork, and it is hard to reverse once the funds are released. We weigh it on the facts that actually drive it:
A settlement that lands in a chequing account can quietly disqualify you from benefits you still need. The structuring has to happen before the money moves:
Once the structure is set, the question is how to make tax-free capital produce income that lasts as long as you need it:
Common questions about settlement and compensation planning in Ontario
Most personal-injury and accident settlements are received tax-free — the award itself is not income, and the courts treat compensation for pain, suffering and lost future earning capacity as non-taxable. The nuance is in the components: pre-judgment interest can be taxable, and a retiring-allowance or back-pay portion of a wrongful-dismissal settlement is taxable as income. The investment income your award later earns is also taxable. We help you separate the tax-free capital from the taxable pieces before you deploy a dollar.
A structured settlement pays a guaranteed, tax-free stream for a set term or for life, which removes market risk and the temptation to overspend — but it locks the money in and can't flex if your needs change. A lump sum gives you full control and growth potential, but you carry the investment risk and the discipline. The right answer turns on your health, your spending needs, and whether you'd realistically keep a large sum invested. We model both side by side so the trade-off is on paper, not a hunch.
A lump sum landing in your bank account can push you over ODSP's asset limit and interrupt the benefits you depend on. The common tool is a Henson trust — an absolute-discretion trust where the trustee, not you, controls the funds, so the assets generally don't count against the limit. Settlement funds held in trust and certain disability-related exemptions can also help. This is structuring that has to be set up correctly with the right legal documents, so we coordinate with an estate lawyer before the money moves.
Because the capital is tax-free, the goal is usually durable income that lasts decades, not a swing for high growth. That points toward a conservative, diversified mix sized to your time horizon and any ongoing care costs, with registered room (RRSP, TFSA, RDSP if you qualify) used where it shelters the income the portfolio throws off. If your earning capacity was reduced, the plan has to assume this money may need to replace a paycheque for life — which changes the withdrawal math considerably.
Your lawyer's job ends roughly where ours begins. They negotiate and finalize the award; we take it from there — the invest-it, protect-it, make-it-last side they don't handle. We're happy to work in parallel before the settlement closes so the structure (lump sum vs. structured, any trust) is decided before the funds are released, rather than scrambling after. We don't give legal advice or replace your lawyer; we build the financial plan around the settlement they secured.
After your free assessment, a first working plan typically comes together in a couple of weeks — fast enough to act before funds are released if your settlement is closing soon, and unhurried enough to get benefit-protection structures right. If a Henson trust or structured settlement is involved, we coordinate the legal pieces in parallel so nothing holds up the money. The aim is a clear plan you understand before you commit, not a rushed decision under deadline pressure.
How to invest a personal-injury settlement and preserve means-tested benefits.
Read article →Structuring an MVA settlement for income and long-term security.
Read article →Making a WSIB lump sum last and coordinating with other benefits.
Read article →Tax on the award, RRSP room, and deploying the proceeds.
Read article →Benefit types, lump-sum options, and the financial-planning angle.
Read article →Find out how to make your award last and protect the benefits you rely on. Our assessment covers the structured-vs-lump-sum decision, benefit protection, and an income plan built around your situation.