Category Archives: Blog

Taxes may be inescapable, but your choice of investments can have a huge impact on how much tax you pay. It all depends on your personal situation and how you structure your investment portfolio. Investment income. A basic investment portfolio can generate three types of income: 1. Interest income. If you have a savings account […]

The new rules governing CPP were introduced in 2012 and they take full effect in 2016. The earliest you can take your CPP Pension is age 60, the latest is 70. The standard question regarding CPP remains the same – should I take it early or wait? While you can elect to start receiving CPP […]

As a business owner, you may be aware that when you dispose of shares in your business you could receive an exemption on all or a portion of the capital gains that ordinarily would be taxable. This is due to the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption which says that, for 2015, up to $813,0001 of capital […]

Permanent life insurance, such as Whole Life or Universal Life, has long been accepted as a tax efficient way of accumulating cash for future needs. Soon the amount of funds that can be tax sheltered within a life insurance policy will be reduced by new tax rules which take effect January 1, 2017. These changes […]

The majority of Canadians work hard to accumulate a retirement fund and many are averse to exposing savings to unnecessary market risk after they retire. In today’s prolonged low interest rate environment, immediate annuities are often dismissed or overlooked as a viable vehicle for providing retirement income. Perhaps they shouldn’t be. An annuity is an […]

The Cascading Life Insurance Strategy If you are a grandparent wishing to provide an asset for your grandchildren without compromising your own financial security you may want to consider an estate planning application known as cascading life insurance. How does the Cascading Life Insurance Strategy work? • The grandparent would purchase an insurance policy on […]

Transferring a Life Insurance Policy to a Corporation (“UPDATE” This Strategy was good until it has been banned by CRA in the 2016 budget) The Corporate Extraction Strategy involves transferring a personally owned life insurance policy to a corporation for its fair market value (FMV). When handled properly, it could result in withdrawing capital from […]

A will ensures your heirs get exactly what you want them to, but a trust can simplify the process of transferring these assets to your heirs. The main difference between the two is that a trust lets you transfer assets to beneficiaries while you’re still alive, and a will transfers your assets when you die. […]

If you are a dual citizen looking to give up your US passport, the tax implications of being an expatriate are a complicated minefield to navigate. The reality is not all US expatriates need to worry, only those considered to be “Covered Expatriates”, under the Internal Revenue Code rules. These people must take careful consideration […]

The marginal tax rate in Quebec will edge up for those earning $100,000 or more a year. The highest marginal rate in Quebec for 2012 was 48.22 per cent and now the highest marginal rate in Quebec as of Jan. 1 is going to increase to 49.97 per cent. Higher-income earners will be hit even […]