A friend who recently passed away set up an RRSP for me. I don’t know who it is with – how can I find it?

Our response:

It is not possible to set up a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) for someone else. Certain registered accounts can be set up by persons other than the beneficiary, such as a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).

If what you mean is that you were named as a beneficiary of your friend’s RRSP, the RRSP must be included for tax purposes as part of your friend’s estate – an RRSP can only pass along directly if the beneficiary named is a qualified beneficiary, in other words, a spouse, common-law partner or financial dependant. You may consider contacting the estate’s executor or speaking to an estate lawyer for more information.

Learn more about RRSPs and wills and estate planning.