Kim Nelson brings more than two decades of senior tax expertise to her role as Estate Planning Advisor and Tax Specialist at ClearEstate — grounded in legal training that very few estate advisors can claim. A graduate of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law (LL.B.), Kim built her career as a tax lawyer advising individuals and businesses on strategies that minimize tax exposure and ensure legal compliance across a wide range of circumstances.
The centrepiece of her professional career was 13 years at MNP LLP — one of Canada's leading professional services firms — where she rose from Tax Advisor to Director, Tax. At MNP, her work spanned corporate and personal income tax planning and compliance, tax dispute resolution, and business succession planning. She negotiated directly with provincial and federal tax agencies and reviewed motions filed with the Canadian Tax Court and the Quebec Superior Court — a level of tax dispute resolution experience that goes well beyond what most estate planning advisors carry. She was also one of four principal members of MNP's Exit Smart project: a dedicated initiative to attract and advise business owner-operators on building effective succession plans for their companies.
What sets Kim apart from most tax professionals is a second, extraordinary dimension of her career. Prior to joining ClearEstate in December 2023, Kim trained and worked as an end-of-life doula — helping clients navigate health care treatment decisions and the legal dimensions of end-of-life options, supporting families through the complexities of legacy work, and prioritizing death positivity to help promote dignity and the best quality of life possible in the final chapter. This is not a background that most estate planning advisors carry. It shapes how Kim approaches every conversation: with the rigour of a senior tax lawyer who deeply understands that estate planning is ultimately about people and the families they love.
A native bilingual in French and English, Kim is well-positioned to assist ClearEstate clients across Canada — including Quebec — with the full range of estate planning challenges they face.
Kim’s areas of expertise at ClearEstate:
Estate planning strategies in Canada
Estate administration tax
Corporate tax and business succession planning
Tax-efficient wealth transfer
RRSP, TFSA, and RDSP at death
Wills and their tax implications
Business owner estate planning
Education & Training:
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) — Université de Montréal, Faculty of Law
End-of-Life Doula — Douglas College, Vancouver
Certified Grief Educator - David Kessler
Canadian Investment Funds Institute (IFIC)
Connect: LinkedIn