No Drama: Plan for a Smooth Family Business Succession
Succession planning is vital to ensuring the orderly transition of a family business from one generation to the next. Yet family business owners tend to avoid this complex and emotional exercise for many reasons: their identity is too closely tied to the business, they are too busy with day-to-day operations, or they worry that the […]
Video: The Contribution Conundrum – RRSPs vs TFSAs
Estate Planning: Getting the Details Right
The Importance of Planning When it comes to estate planning, co-ordination of documents and details such as beneficiary designations matter. A lack of planning and out of date or incomplete documentation can result in additional costs, delays and taxes for your estate, or a loss of control over certain aspects, such as the guardianship of […]
Calculating 2024 RRIF Minimum Withdrawals
For clients who have rolled their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (“RRSP”) over to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (“RRIF”) or who have an existing RRIF account in 2023, the following information outlines how their 2024 minimum withdrawal will be calculated. All RRIF withdrawals are reported as pension income on a T4RIF slip. Here are some […]
Understanding Trust (and Bare Trustee) Reporting Changes
Introduction Is your name on legal title for any assets that you don’t have a beneficial interest in (i.e., a Bare Trust)? Perhaps your name is legally on your parents’ home, or maybe your child’s banking or investment accounts? If this is the case, you may have a new reporting obligation with the Canada Revenue […]
The New Rules for Trust Reporting: Four Unexpected Scenarios
New Enhanced Trust Reporting Rules The new enhanced trust reporting rules (“new trust rules”) may catch certain Canadian trusts or informal trust arrangements considered Bare Trusts, that previously did not have to file an annual Trust Income and Tax Information Return (“T3 Return”). The new trust rules will force the filing of annual T3 Returns […]
RRSPs: The Essentials
What is a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)? A RRSP is a retirement savings account available to any Canadian individual taxpayer under the age of 72 and to which they or their spouse/common law partner can contribute – subject to their respective deduction limits. At the very least, an RRSP is an income tax deferral […]
Understanding the RRSP Deduction Limit Statement
Common Questions Every year clients look at the RRSP Deduction Limit Statement on their Notice of Assessment and ask similar questions: Is there a difference between a RRSP contribution and a RRSP deduction? I have RRSP deduction room and unused contributions – what does this mean? My unused contribution room for the year is negative […]
Are You Overlooking The Tax-Free Opportunity?
There are few “gifts” that the government gives us, and the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is one of them. The opportunity to invest and grow funds on tax-free basis over a lifetime should not be overlooked. Yet, the latest statistics reveal that many high-net-worth (HNW) individuals are not taking full advantage. The 2024 TFSA statistics […]
For High-Net-Worth Investors: Life Insurance for Education Planning
For high-net-worth (HNW) investors, life insurance may provide benefits beyond protection, including helping to support the education costs of a child or grandchild. With the ever-growing cost of post-secondary education, many HNW investors are looking for different ways to help support the next generation. For those who have fully contributed to registered accounts (RESPs, TFSAs, […]