Recent Articles

Retirement Planning: Back to Basics

Posted on: April 9, 2013

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In the aftermath of the US housing market bust and the ensuing financial meltdown that led to global stock market declines of 2008, people are getting back to the basics as far as their retirement planning goes. Although the stock market has recovered, many pre-retirees have lost a lot of ground in their retirement accounts and are facing a new reality. Retirement may not be what they had originally envisioned; but with some retirement income 101 basics, most people should be able to get back on track.

Start with Realistic Assumptions

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Volatile Economy = Investor Fatigue

Posted on: February 12, 2013

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investment planning

Investors are becoming increasingly exhausted trying to follow the seemingly never-ending bad global economic news. Overseas markets have put a strain on Canada even though we are more stable, economically, than most other countries in the world.

Crystal balls are in short supply resulting in increased skepticism and general feeling of Is this downturn ever going to end?' The uncertainty has investors reeling - leading them to make judgements with their portfolios that they wouldn't normally exercise.

Baby Boomers Getting Nervous

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Financial Resolutions for 2013

Posted on: January 15, 2013

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financial strategies

Give your finances a boost this new year. Here is a list of financial resolutions to help you become better off at the end of the coming twelve months:

Eliminate personal debt. - Brad and Angie had fallen into the very common habit of buying lots of 'stuff' with their credit cards and soon were carrying a balance from month to month. At 19.9%, it is very expensive to live this kind of lifestyle. And any new purchases attract the same financing charge from date of purchase.

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Home Ownership Can Be Less Taxing Than You Think

Posted on: August 14, 2012

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tax planning

Front lawns across Canada are sprouting For Sale signs. That this annual phenomena occurs at about the same time as the tax refund season may be purely coincidental. Understanding the financial incentives for home ownership available in the Income Tax Act may save you thousands when buying a home.

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RRSPs & TFSAs - What's the Difference ?

Posted on: July 10, 2012

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retirement planning

Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) were introduced in 2009 and they seem to be struggling to catch on. Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), however, have been around for over fifty years and attract billions of dollars of deposits each year. If you are serious about saving for your future, it is important to know the differences between the two.

While RRSPs and TFSAs seem to be very similar on the surface, they are really apples and kumquats apart. The only similarity is that, within limitations, earnings inside either plan are allowed to grow without current taxation.

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An Ideal Opportunity to Improve Your Cash Flow

Posted on: April 9, 2012

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financial strategies

With so many doom & gloom news headlines, it is refreshing to know Canadians can still get very low fixed rate mortgages. A recent Financial Post article (March 9, 2012) explains that with big banks competing strongly for new mortgage business, now is a great time for Canadians to refinance their mortgages to improve personal cash flow.