Asset or a Liability?
Do you have a separate recreational property or a rental property? If so this may apply to you: Some years ago, Roy and Mary bought a cottage at the lake in their home province for about $50,000 and today it is worth about $750,000. Over the years, they have spent about $100,000 on improvements to […]
TFSA Designations Matter
The method that you use to name a successor, owner or beneficiary of a TFSA makes a big difference to your estate, not only for a TFSA to maintain its tax-exempt status but also to ensure that the assets are distributed to the intended recipients. You can name your spouse or common-law partner as a […]
Insuring Your Mortgage Through Lenders
Marc and Lorna just bought a house and, like most home buyers, they needed a mortgage. During the financing process, they were offered mortgage insurance by the lender. They wanted to know more before taking the coverage. Do we control the policy? Because the coverage is usually a group plan, the agreement is actually between […]
Estate Plans and Your Children
After spending a lifetime managing your money to ensure that you actually have something to leave to your heirs, there are some questions that might naturally spring to mind. How much should you leave them? Should you make arrangements to give it to them while you’re still alive? More importantly, will giving them a large […]
Consumer Impact of Low Interest Rates
While the Bank of Canada publicly muses about adopting negative interest rates on Government Bonds as a policy tool to stimulate economic growth, the Bank of Japan recently cut its benchmark interest rate below zero, joining several others including the European Central Bank in the negative interest rate club. According to the February 6th issue […]
9 Ways to Destroy Wealth
Taking the time and effort to manage your money better is certain to pay dividends in the future. By following the rules of careful money management, it is possible to cut out wasteful outgoings and increase savings, which can mean being $1,000s better off each year. Any of these extra savings can be put aside […]
Traveling in Retirement
One of the top retirement goals for many is travel. As many as 1.5 million so called “snowbirds” travel to the Southern United States during the winter. With summer just around the corner, thoughts turn to travel within our borders, too. The Canada Safety Council states that a few simple precautions can help ensure a […]
Investing Like the Rich Do
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” George Foreman. With RRSP season upon us, it might be useful to see how the wealthy invest their funds for some indication as to how they differ from average Canadians. As Baron Rothschild famously stated, “The time to buy is when there’s blood in […]
Strategies to Enhance Your RRSPs
Since their introduction in 1957 as an incentive to save for retirement, Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) have evolved into the most popular savings vehicles in Canada. All too often, though, RRSP decisions are made in a panic to meet a deadline, with little or no planning or understanding of the effects of our actions. […]
Protect Yourself From Scams
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, 45,000 Canadians lost more than $96 million to online and telephone scams in 20191. These stats are rising dramatically in our post-COVID reality. In April 2020 alone, there were 6566 reports and 2317 victims defrauded of over $8.3 million. The isolation and anxiety brought about by the global pandemic […]