A few years ago, a 30-ish man moved into a house across the street from us. Shortly after, we saw a large bin placed in the driveway and, based on the debris going in, it soon began to look like a good section of the...
Read MoreAn Introduction to Estate Planning – Part 4 I read about a well-off senior couple who had four children. They decided to “adopt a fifth child” for estate planning purposes. This meant that, in their will, instead of distributing their assets four ways equally among their...
Read More
An Introduction to Tax Planning – Part 5 The numbers of people who are applying for Employment Insurance (EI) and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other supports that the government has rolled out in recent weeks are just staggering. Perhaps, like me, the figures...
Read More
AN INTRODUCTION TO TAX PLANNING – PART 3 In a world where governments are scrambling to address the impact of the novel coronavirus on our society, the topic of this post may seem rather mundane or even unnecessary. However, there is applicability. Let’s assume a married...
Read More
What to do? It almost feels like there is nowhere to hide. Major stock indices in Canada (S&P/TSX), the US (S&P 500) and the developed world outside of North America (MSCI EAFE) are down 25 to 30 percent in the space of a month. Bonds, which...
Read More
An Introduction to Tax Planning – Part 2 “Oh, man! What is this guy talking about? He’s calling people losers and then he is suggesting a way to take advantage of them!” Let me explain. First of all, I am not calling *people* losers. Second, this...
Read MoreAn Introduction to Tax Planning – Part 1 Financial Planning and Taxation As much as we might like to deny it, taxation is an integral part of financial planning. Indeed, taxation can often be a Canadian household’s biggest single expense. Think about all the areas in life...
Read MoreAn introduction to registered plans – Part 5 What is the purpose of an RDSP? “A Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is a savings plan that is intended to help parents and others save for the long term financial security of a person who is eligible for...
Read MoreAn Introduction to Registered Plans – Part 4 What is an RESP? A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is designed to support saving for postsecondary education. The account owners, known as subscribers, are usually parents or grandparents of the beneficiary children. What are the different types of RESPs? Individual...
Read MoreAn Introduction to Registered Plans – Part 3 The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) was introduced into law as part of the 2008 federal budget and became a part of the registered plan landscape in 2009. The timing was auspicious as the world economy had fallen into...
Read More