AN INTRODUCTION TO ESTATE PLANNING – PART 3.2 In my last post, I discussed the importance of naming a guardian in your will, someone who will take care of your children if you die before they are old enough to take care of themselves. Another item...
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AN INTRODUCTION TO ESTATE PLANNING – PART 3.1 When people get around to making a will, they often think of their family first. If they are married, they will think of their spouse first. Some assets can be inherited directly, outside of the will. Here I...
Read MoreAn Introduction to Estate Planning – Part 2 A will, as I think most of us are aware, takes effect once we die. A power of attorney document is in effect while we are alive and ceases once we die. They do not overlap, even though...
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An Introduction to Estate Planning – Part 1 Several years ago, when I was a pastor, I spent a portion of one year involved in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), the kind of training that is often required of chaplains. One of the statements made earlier on...
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An Introduction to Retirement Planning – Part 4 Planning for retirement is not just about money. I think you could reasonably argue that money is almost the last thing to be considered. It is the tool that makes your plans for retirement executable. Mind you, it...
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An Introduction to Financial Planning – Part 3 A question was put to me via Twitter in response to my last post on retirement planning. In a nutshell, how do couples do retirement planning when there is an age gap between spouses? I will interpret an...
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An Introduction to Retirement Planning – Part 2 “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Danish proverb Imagine you and your spouse are 35 years old. You hope to retire at 65. There is an almost 25 percent chance that one of you...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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