Five Pillars of Financial Literacy
November is financial literacy month – a great time to reflect on your relationship with money and the decisions you make that guide you toward a secure future. Financial literacy is a set of five key skills that help Canadians navigate the complex world of personal finance with clarity, empowering them to achieve their […]
Year End Tax Planning Ideas
With the year’s end fast approaching, here are some ideas to minimize your 2023 tax bill. The first idea is to look at harvesting any tax losses in an investment portfolio to help offset any capital gains you may have triggered. Even if there are no capital gains, non-registered tax losses can be applied […]
All-Weather Investing
There is almost always chatter in the media about the next possible correction or recession. The most recent buzz is about a possible US recession where Canada would likely follow suit. The chatter also includes opinions about a “soft” versus a “hard” landing, etc. The primary challenge for individuals trying to build wealth is […]
Tips for Dealing with Higher Inflation
Inflation is a reality of modern life, and in recent years, it has become increasingly challenging to manage personal finances in a higher inflation environment. Higher inflation can lead to higher prices for goods and services, which can in turn make it harder to save money and plan for the future. However, there are […]
CPP at 60? Pros and Cons
As individuals approach retirement, they must decide when to start receiving their Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments. While the standard age to begin receiving CPP payments is 65, it is possible to start as early as age 60 or delay until age 70. This decision should never be taken lightly, as it can significantly […]
Who is Your Trusted Contact Person?
Monica was alarmed to hear from her mother’s financial advisor expressing concern over some unusual financial requests. She called her mom, who seemed fine, but Monica couldn’t get the conversation with the financial advisor out of her head. She travelled to see her mom in person and was dismayed to discover numerous unpaid bills […]
Interest Rates and Your Financial Strategy
Working towards financial independence includes assumptions about how the world operates and how we navigate within that environment. These assumptions work best when the world remains the same allowing you to make reasonable future projections. Challenges come when changes occur in the operating environment which may require reassessing wealth building strategies. The disruptions from […]
How to Get Income Out of Your RRSPs
Roger and Linda, like many Canadians, have saved for years for their retirement. They took advantage of RRSPs and now have a substantial amount of savings. As Roger will turn age 71 this year, they need to decide on the best strategy for using their RRSPs for their retirement income needs. Until now, Roger […]
Tips and Traps for Handling Estates
Here are some common TIPS Canadians should consider when assisting family members with handling their financial affairs while alive. And some common TRAPS that may occur once an Executor is working on distributing the Estate assets to the heirs. It is a common practice to have all of Mom’s or Dad’s bank accounts set […]
Financial Resilience
You’ve likely heard the term “financial resilience”. You may even know it refers to a household’s ability to navigate and overcome financial stress and hardships that life inevitably throws at you. But did you know that financial resilience can be measured? This calculation is based upon key indicators that include household savings, stress levels around […]
Retirement Income Planning: Simplified
Retirement is a significant life event that requires careful planning and preparation. One of the most important aspects of retirement planning is figuring out how to generate income during your post-work years. In this article, we will discuss some wise retirement income strategies that can help you make the most of your retirement savings. […]
Estate Planning Saves You Money
When it comes to your estate, it is important to consider giving some thought to how you want to distribute your assets, household goods and other gifts to your heirs as you contemplate your other matters in life. This, including tax planning, is what lawyers refer to as Estate Planning, which can be a simple […]
Tax Saving Strategies for Sole Proprietors
Sole proprietorships are the most basic form of business organization. They are actually an extension of the person and are taxed as such. Due to its simplicity, many business start-ups begin as this form of organization. As your business grows, there are numerous taxation benefits to setting it up as a corporation. Speaking to a […]
Divorce and Your Finances
Canadian government statistics continually show that roughly half of all marriages end in divorce. If a couple is contemplating moving forward with a divorce, it is important to carefully consider how this event will affect their overall financial situation. Understanding how a divorce changes financial and estate plans can help reduce legal costs and […]
Are you a Retirement Savings Late Starter?
Harry and Sally both earned high incomes and liked to live the good life. They leased higher end European cars, took two-week exotic vacations almost every year, and lived in a house much larger than they truly needed. To accomplish this lifestyle, they put off retirement savings. Now in their forties, Harry and Sally are […]
Warren Buffett Wisdom
Investment icon Warren Buffett says there’s wisdom in being “fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” 1 He first gave this advice in 1986 and has re-iterated it over the past few decades during times of financial uncertainty: 9/11 in 2001, the 2008 mortgage crisis, the 2011 Black Monday crash and […]
A Short Conversation About Banks
The recent tremors in the US banking system (collapse of Silicon Valley Bank – SVB) have caused some Canadians to question how developments in the US might affects their own savings. The key thing to understand is that there are BIG differences between Canadian and US banking systems. A Google search for “How many […]
Financial Independence Tips for Seniors
As people age, maintaining financial independence can become increasingly challenging. However, there are steps that senior can take to help ensure that they can continue to live independently and enjoy their golden years without financial worries. Below, we will discuss some of the ways that seniors can maintain their financial independence for years into […]
New Tax Planning Opportunities
Canadians have various existing tax reduction opportunities to consider for their own personal situations and one NEW strategy arrives this spring: First Home Savings Account (FHSA). The FHSA has a few unique features versus the already existing Home Buyers Plan. To start, any Canadian over the age of 18 (who qualifies as a first-time […]
Budgeting Your Way to Financial Independence
Financial independence is an important goal that many Canadians aspire to – but achieving it can feel like an overwhelming task. However, with the right mindset and a few key strategies, it is possible to budget your way to financial independence. We have listed several time-tested strategies below: Obtaining financial independence requires […]
Are You Ready to Retire?
According to a 2022 survey,1 only 35% of Canadians aged 50 and older feel they’re financially ready to retire. Sixty-two percent report being unprepared or unsure if they have the resources. In a similar survey, Bromwich+Smith and Advisorsavvy2 report that 71% worry they will never be able to save enough to retire comfortably. Sixty-two percent […]
How to Achieve Personal Financial Success
As the recent pandemic crisis made its way around the world, creating havoc in its wake, we can be thankful most Canadians were able to weather the storm in fairly good financial shape. Now Canadians are mostly concerned about spike in the interest rates and how that will impact their financial and retirement plans during […]
TFSAs: Leveraging the Benefits
The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) was introduced in 2009 to offer Canadians an incentive to save over their lifetimes. TFSAs provide tax-free growth, flexible investment options, and easy set-up and withdrawals, making this registered account a powerful tool for financial well-being. Below are some key features. Below are some key features: Make […]
Don’t Give Up on Growth
If you are a prudent investor, then you have a financial retirement plan that will ensure you have sufficient funds for the lifestyle you envision after you stop working. What constitutes sufficient depends on your ambitions and your hobbies, and also on how long you live. People are living longer, and it’s not unreasonable to […]
RRSP Deadline Approaching!
Once again, it is that time of year when Canadians turn their attention to make their tax-deductible pension contributions to their RRSP. The word “pension” is used deliberately to emphasize that the whole point of RRSPs and other savings methods is to build savings over time to replace earned income with passive or pension income […]
Why Business Succession Planning Matters
Accounting firm BDO Canada1, found that only one-third of family-owned businesses survive the transition to second generation, with just a third of these getting to the next – a mere 1 in 10 chance of the business surviving for three generations. Often, the reason is insufficient planning. There is also insufficient planning for the […]
How to Tell When a Senior Needs Help With Finances
As we age, it becomes more likely that we may lose track of our finances. It could be because of physical reasons (failing eyesight, shaky hands, etc.), mental reasons (memory loss, cognitive impairment, etc.), or a little of both. It is common for someone not to seek help because of pride or fear of losing […]
Key Ideas for Wealth Building Success
From listening to the media and online commentators, we have identified two key observations that can impact your efforts to build assets and wealth over time. The first is the way many individual investors place one-way bets on their market investments. As long as the investment is making money, all is good. But the […]
The Power of Time and Patience
It’s challenging to be patient in a fast-paced, immediate gratification world, but some things are worth the wait. Consider, for example, how a powerful financial reality (compound interest) can help investors accumulate a lot of assets over time to reward their patience and perseverance. Here’s how it works: Now imagine how these numbers […]
Lifestyle Choices Can Secure Your Retirement
For many nearing retirement, lifestyle choices become more significant in determining their comfort level for the rest of their lives. They must decide whether it is better to make some of those choices now or have their circumstances force lifestyle changes later in retirement. That’s the dilemma faced by many people who have come to […]
