News, Articles, & Events

A person gets injured in a skiing accident, can’t return to work for more than two years, and still needs the same income replacement. Another individual who’s working on estate plans needs a solution to cover taxes payable on estate assets. Someone else just recovered from a heart attack but wants extra time to recover before going back to the … Read More

When fears over COVID-19 sent markets plummeting in March, investors felt the initial shock. But markets rallied in the following weeks, turning shock to a sense of hope. The trouble is, however, no one knows how long the rebound will take – and it’s been marked by volatility. As an investor, how can you have peace of mind while you’re … Read More

A tax-free savings account (TFSA) should be called a tax-free investment account. Why? Because the connotation with the words savings is that you can’t lose. Within this particular replenishable investment vehicle, you can buy anything from a GIC to mutual funds to individual stocks, and everything in between. As long as they are Canadian stocks – all growth through capital … Read More

One spouse wants to modernize the kitchen with a quartz-topped island, sleek push-open cabinets and built-in appliances. But the other spouse wants to make the basement into a home theatre with a state-of-the-art projection system, surround sound and reclining theatre-style seats. If this couple had to choose one renovation based on adding value to their home, the new kitchen wins. … Read More

Today, to change a retirement plan often means postponing the date, not moving it up. After all, we’re living longer, and early retirement adds even more years to fund. But there are special circumstances when retiring earlier than planned becomes an option to consider. When earlier is viable You don’t need to win the lottery to retire earlier. Here you’ll … Read More

It’s easy to think you can put off changes to an estate plan – the plan doesn’t even take effect during your lifetime. But it’s important to avoid delay because many changes call for strategies best implemented sooner rather than later. Also, you make estate planning changes now for the same reason you made a will and purchased life insurance: … Read More

When it’s time to withdraw funds from a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), tax planning may be involved. It’s all because an RESP is composed of two pools of money, one taxable and one non-taxable – and you choose the pool for each withdrawal. One pool is your original contributions. Post-secondary education contribution withdrawals, as they’re called, are non-taxable because … Read More

Many long-term investors wonder if they should take action when markets suffer a downturn or become volatile. Should you sell equities and turn to the safety of cash? Should you stop making regular investments? Such thoughts are understandable, but these actions can decrease portfolio value over the long term. Patience pays off During a market downturn, investors who sell equities … Read More

There’s no minimum age requirement to open a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF). As for  the maximum age, retirees who wish to convert their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to a RRIF must do so by the end of the year they turn 71. When to wait In fact, waiting until age 71 to open a RRIF is often the … Read More