Stay informed. Our latest news and announcements.

Financial Future Worries?

Posted on:

If you are concerned about your future finances, you are certainly not alone as noted in a global survey of 19,000 adult in over 19 countries (including Canada). Nearly 68% (or two thirds) of the 1000 Canadians interviewed in the survey conducted by the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) said they still had concerns about their personal finances. For those in mid-life, anxiety caused by…

Read More

Asset or a Liability?

Posted on:

Do you have a separate recreational property or a rental property? If so this may apply to you: Some years ago, Roy and Mary bought a cottage at the lake in their home province for about $50,000 and today it is worth about $750,000. Over the years, they have spent about $100,000 on improvements to the property and they kept all receipts to prove it. Roy and Mary, like many, think that it will be…

Read More

TFSA Designations Matter

Posted on:

The method that you use to name a successor, owner or beneficiary of a TFSA makes a big difference to your estate, not only for a TFSA to maintain its tax-exempt status but also to ensure that the assets are distributed to the intended recipients. You can name your spouse or common-law partner as a successor-holder or anyone else as a beneficiary. The successor-holder and beneficiary designations…

Read More

Insuring Your Mortgage Through Lenders

Posted on:

Marc and Lorna just bought a house and, like most home buyers, they needed a mortgage. During the financing process, they were offered mortgage insurance by the lender. They wanted to know more before taking the coverage. Do we control the policy? Because the coverage is usually a group plan, the agreement is actually between the lender and the insurance company. Marc and Lorna would be insured…

Read More

Consumer Impact of Low Interest Rates

Posted on:

While the Bank of Canada publicly muses about adopting negative interest rates on Government Bonds as a policy tool to stimulate economic growth, the Bank of Japan recently cut its benchmark interest rate below zero, joining several others including the European Central Bank in the negative interest rate club. According to the February 6th issue of The Economist, almost one quarter of the world’s…

Read More