Finding balance amid uncertainty
Keeping expectations on an even keel has been a challenge when it comes to the financial markets. In 2022, we have experienced a rapid reversal in both direction and sentiment. With persistently high inflation, and with headwinds from the Ukraine war and the spring Covid shutdowns in China, the central banks have taken a more […]
Time: the investor’s great ally
It has been said that “history is just one damned thing after another.” This may be particularly fitting today. For many of us, there has been little respite from the challenges of the past two years. Looking forward, it seems as though there is no shortage of new challenges. As we try to navigate the […]
Growth At a Reasonable Price
Download PDF For the past several months, we’ve been concerned about speculative activity and overvaluation in certain pockets of the marketplace. Evidence of this has been widely available: elevated retail investor participation, increased number and size of initial public offerings, heightened usage of leverage, and detachment between fundamentals and prices resulting in high valuation multiples. […]
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Download PDF Optimism for the future abounds: the pace of vaccinations is accelerating, signs of Spring are everywhere, and exuberant equity markets are at all-time highs. For much of the past 12 months we have had a positive outlook on markets as the combination of attractive valuation and improving outlook encouraged an increased allocation to […]
Pre-Budget Tax and Estate Planning – What Should I Be Considering?
Download PDF On March 8, 2021, the Federal Liberal Government announced that they are ruling out releasing the Federal Budget this month but plan to table the Budget at some point in Spring. This means that it will be more than two years since the Federal Government tabled its last Budget on March 19, 2019 […]
WFH and COVID-19: Deducting Home Office Expenses as an Employee
Download this article as a PDF. COVID-19 has forced many employees to work from home (WFH) for the first time in their careers. It is estimated almost five million Canadians transitioned from working at an office to their home at the outbreak of COVID-19, joining approximately 1.8 million employees who already were working exclusively from […]
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Drafting a Shareholders’ Agreement
If you own shares in a private corporation you should be no stranger to a Unanimous Shareholders’ Agreement(“USA”). The USA document, which outlines how the company should be operated and the rights and responsibilities of the shareholders, is integral in protecting your rights as a stakeholder in the business. A well-drafted USA should thoughtfully contemplate various […]
Gambling vs. Investing, is it the Lotto TSX-MAX?
“There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune; go there with a large one” _______Jack Yelton. Over the years, I have heard many comparisons between investing in stocks and gambling. While there are some similarities between the two activities, especially to the untrained eye, they are fundamentally different. […]
The Grand Re-Opening: Hurry up and wait! – The Love Letter February 2020
With one son currently enrolled in the Royal Canadian Army Cadet program, two having aged-out after the age of 18 and me as a longtime civilian volunteer, the Jain household is accustomed to the idea of being instructed to hurry up only to then have to wait again. With the vaccination effort now underway, people […]
What’s in Your Capital Dividend Account and Why Should You Care?
So you run your own business, things have been going well, but the more your business grows, the more complex your tax issues become. One often misunderstood tax concept is the Capital Dividend Account, or “CDA” for short. Capital dividends are simply a form of dividend, which can be paid out to Canadian-resident shareholders on a tax-free […]