Category Archives: Blog

Mastering productivity is a challenge even for the best of us. After all, there are only so many hours in the day and exercising, responding to emails, getting work done and catching up on sleep don’t seem to fit so nicely within that time frame. Yet, excuses aside, making the most of any given 24 […]

Death and taxes Unfortunately, the tax man doesn’t forget us when we die. Before an inheritance can be doled out, the Canada Revenue Agency(CRA) has to get a cut. Depending partly on how rich the deceased person was, up to half of the estate can go to taxes. On top of that, rifling through reams […]

In a survey done in 2012 in Canada, 56% of those surveyed didn’t have a will. What that means is that rather than leaving their heirs an inheritance, the majority of Canadians could be bequeathing their offspring a ticking time bomb. The financial issues associated with dying without a will begin almost immediately: all accounts […]

If you require permanent life insurance coverage for family, estate planning, business, or tax planning purposes or you just wish to accumulate money in your life insurance program it may be time to look at a permanent, level cost solution. Many of us purchase large amounts of low cost term insurance to cover our needs […]

At a time when many baby-boomers are planning their retirement, the preservation and eventual transfer of your family assets are becoming a major concern. Estate planning aims to minimize the income tax consequences of meeting these objectives. You will likely own capital property at the time of your death and, in most cases, there will […]

One of the greatest mistakes is dying without a valid will. This results in “intestacy,” which is another way of saying that the province will force its own will upon the heirs it chooses. Too many wills have not been updated. A will should be reviewed at least: • At the birth, adoption, or death […]

The focus of the Berkshire Annual General Meeting is usually the economy, investing, and Berkshire’s many businesses. There are inevitably questions about Mr. Buffett’s succession plans. But Mr. Blum’s question stood out, because it was much more personal. Here are his exact words: “I can design plans that eliminate estate tax and pass down great […]

Growing your estate without undue market risk and taxes. Often we see investors shift gears near retirement and beyond. Many become risk adverse and move their assets into fixed income type investments. Unfortunately this often results in the assets being exposed to higher rates of income tax and lower rates of return – never a […]

Owners of successful private corporations are well aware of the importance of cash flow. Many are protective of how they allocate corporate capital so that business ventures are adequately funded and investment opportunities are not missed. The Immediate Financing Arrangement offers an opportunity to provide life insurance coverage and accumulate wealth on a tax-advantaged basis […]

If you are an owner in a family enterprise, the likelihood of your business successfully transitioning to the next generations is not very good. This has not changed over the years. Statistics show a failure rate of: • 67% of businesses fail to succeed into the second generation • 90% fail by the third generation […]