News, Articles, & Events

When should you get life insurance? Simply put: as soon as possible. Life insurance is important to consider regardless of how young you are, because even at 25 there’s a good chance you’ve begun accumulating wealth and assets. It’s not uncommon to purchase a house this early on in life, and the last thing you want to do is saddle … Read More

“And to my beloved daughter, I give the leather-bound album of cherished family photographs.” Sure, that sounds right for the old days. Today the pics might be on your laptop. We’ve got all sorts of valuable items stored electronically, and it’s time we started treating them accordingly. What is digital property? Digital property is text, images, multimedia content or any … Read More

The 2017 Royal LePage Canadian Recreational Housing Report showed healthy year-overyear price increases in many vacation property markets across Canada. The highest average price was $816,700 in Alberta, but even the national average was more than $400,000. Over time, the price increases can be staggering. Waterfront cottages on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario that sold for an average of $250,000 … Read More

Until this year, business owners could pay dividends to lower-taxed adult children or other family members who were shareholders with few restrictions. But effective January 1, 2018, the rules changed. Now, only family members who meet certain criteria can pay tax on dividends at their personal marginal rate. Otherwise, dividends are taxed at the highest marginal rate. Here are the … Read More

All of the speculation and discussion has turned into reality — the federal government is beginning to clamp down on tax-reduction opportunities for small businesses. With the new restrictions, it becomes even more important to take advantage of the tax breaks that remain. Here are three strategies to consider. Hire a family member Hiring a family member is an effective … Read More

You may find it a lot easier to choose between synchronized and staggered retirements when you understand the financial side of the decision. Let’s say you and your partner have planned all along to retire together at a certain date. But now you’re concerned you might not have the funds you need to support the lifestyle you want. You’re wondering … Read More

For many couples, retiring together just makes sense, plain and simple. You share the pleasure of starting this new chapter of your life together, and you enjoy more time together in retirement. A synchronized retirement can be idyllic. But the picture becomes less rosy if one spouse makes a sacrifice to line up the retirement dates. Say one spouse has … Read More

Normally, you might be quite comfortable making regular contributions to your investment program. But then an extraordinary market event takes place — like the U.S. stock market’s remarkable bull run from 2009 and into 2018, when the S&P 500 Index climbed almost 200%. Even a disciplined investor may wonder if unusual times call for unusual measures. The battle of fear … Read More

Canada’s tax laws allow you to split your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) benefits with your spouse, a strategy that’s well worth considering if one of you is in a substantially higher tax bracket than the other. “Pension sharing” moves pension income from the spouse in the higher tax bracket to the spouse in the lower … Read More

As parents get older, they may need assistance with things like yardwork, home maintenance, and so on. Often, they’d benefit from a helping hand with financial matters, too. By taking action now, you may prevent problems from arising down the road. Here are five proactive ways to help. Make sure their wills are up-to-date Many people make a will and … Read More