ARTICLES BY CATEGORY: life-changes
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Discovering What’s Next: Navigating the Transition through Retirement
By Susan Phelan, MA (ABS) on 12 Jul 2024
Retirement isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. In today’s dynamic world, it’s more of a gradual transition than a sudden event.
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Case Study: Life Insurance in Retirement – Helping Adult Children Equitably
By Tara Ennevor on 12 Jan 2023
How can you help an adult child in need now and ensure any other children are treated equally?
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Don’t Be Afraid!
By Mike Duffy on 12 Jan 2023
Fear can literally kill you. Fear is an incredibly destructive force in the human psyche. Fear comes from the Latin word periculum, which means “peril.”
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What is a Financial Plan?
By Anne Hammond on 20 Jan 2020
What does it mean to create a financial plan? And why is it important to do so?
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Your Love Letter: New Year’s Resolution
By on 24 Jan 2019
Love isn’t in the big gestures. It’s in the small details – the everyday minutiae of the lives of people that we care for.
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The Collaborative Process
By Lisa Alexander on 24 Jan 2019
My initial conversation with the client had been friendly, but brief. He gave me most of the relevant details unprompted and had obviously done some research on what might be expected during the divorce process.
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Sharing is Caring
By on 02 Oct 2017
Do you ever find that you can rationalize putting off important responsibilities because they may be painful or cause discomfort?
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Financial Advisor – Part Advisor, Part Counsellor, Part Coach
By Bryson Milley on 01 Oct 2017
When I first started in this profession, I thought I had a good idea of what it meant to be a financial advisor. An advisor had to develop a strong understanding of the investment world, become reasonably well-versed in the tax rules…
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Q and A: How long can I contribute to an RESP? And how long can I collect the CESG on behalf of my child?
By on 03 Jul 2017
Generally speaking, you can contribute to a family plan as long as the beneficiaries are less than 31 years of age at the time of contribution.
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Identity Theft Online
By Cecilia Tsang on 03 Jul 2017
Just last week, a good friend of mine told me that his bank account had been compromised. He received several PayPal withdrawals that he didn’t authorize and thousands of his funds were gone.
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The Right Kind of Mortgage Protection
By Shaun Sun on 03 Jul 2017
If you’ve had to obtain a mortgage to purchase a home or condo, you will have noticed the number of times insurance was discussed.
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Pools and Streams – Retirement Income
By Alain Quennec on 03 Jul 2017
Louise is retiring soon, and it just dawned on her that she isn’t clear what’s going to happen to her cash flow after the regular paycheques stop coming in. I find this a great source of concern among the nearly-retired…
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Q and A: My wife recently died and I am not clear on how this will change my government benefits or my income tax situation.
By on 03 Apr 2017
Answer: One of the major implications for you will be that you will no longer be able to split pension or RRIF (Registered Retirement Income Fund) income on your income tax returns.
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How I plan to Accumulate $100,000 for my Child’s Post-Secondary Education
By Linson Chen on 01 Jul 2016
My wife and I are expecting our first child this August. As new parents to be, we are spending a lot of time analyzing our finances and are doing a lot of planning to ensure that we are well prepared.
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RRSPs – Taking Money Out Before Retirement
By on 01 Apr 2016
A Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) is a financial planning tool which is widely used by Canadians. A common assumption is that the funds in this account should not be touched until that glorious era of your life – retirement.
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Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst
By Cecilia Tsang on 01 Oct 2015
Ann and Will loved to socialize. Every Friday night, 52 weeks a year, their many friends went to their home to gather for coffee and appies.
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Case Study: Guaranteed Income for Life
By on 28 Dec 2014
I’d like to introduce you to Jane. Jane is very aware that two of her children could really use a little extra boost financially and she wants to ensure that, upon her death, they will receive as much as possible.
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Divorce and the Gift of Gratitude
By Vera Vlaovich on 01 Jul 2014
Over five years ago, my now ex-husband and I agreed to separate. At the onset of this decision, it all seemed seamless and easy, but we were two people coming from different places at different stages in our lives.
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The Complications of Marriage Break-ups, What we Can/Cannot Do
By Bryson Milley on 01 Jul 2013
In our profession, we have the privilege of getting to know clients really well over many years
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Should I get mortgage insurance through the bank?
By Cecilia Tsang on 13 Mar 2025
This is a question that I am asked often. Mortgage insurance through the bank is often activated, sometimes unknowingly, or without much thought or understanding, when signing the many pages of mortgage paperwork. This is because the default at most banks when obtaining a mortgage is that you automatically sign up for the insurance. Typically, … Should I get mortgage insurance through the bank?
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More People Qualify for The Disability Tax Credit Than You Think
By Jon Knutson on 14 Aug 2024
Over the years, we have come across many clients who were unaware that they, or their loved ones, might qualify for the disability tax credit (DTC).
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How to Access Equity from Your Principal Residence during Retirement
By Clay Gillespie on 12 Apr 2024
For many British Colombians, a large amount of their net worth is tied up in the equity of their principal residence. There are four main avenues to access this equity – all with some advantages and disadvantages
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Are you Compatible…Financially?
By Debbie Saleem on 16 May 2023
Although it’s not always easy initiating conversations around money, talking openly about finances is important for your relationship’s wellbeing.
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Are You Stuck in a Rut
By Cecilia Tsang on 16 Nov 2022
Do you have a habit or a pattern of behaviour that has become unproductive and hard to change?
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Reaching Our Goals
By Cecilia Tsang on 15 May 2018
Recently I was sick after coming back on from a trip. This was the first time my husband and I traveled together without the children and I was looking forward to spending quality time with them upon my return.
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The Brexit Irony
By Bryson Milley on 20 Dec 2017
There was no shortage of news and opinions about the Brexit vote this past June. And while it made for good political theatre, I couldn’t help but wonder what the people on the ground really felt about it. As luck would have it, the vote happened on June 23rd, and my family and I landed in London on June 27th.
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Income Splitting 101
By Bryn Hamilton on 20 Dec 2017
If you or your partner receive qualified pension income, the federal government’s pension income-splitting provisions could mean extra money in your pocket when you file your income tax returns.