ARTICLES BY CATEGORY: Saving for your goals
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First Home Savings Accounts – Available Soon
By Jon Knutson on 04 Jul 2023
Buying a home can be a challenge for many Canadians. Fluctuations in home prices, along with increased interest costs play a huge part in a first-time homebuyer’s ability to afford a home.
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Behavioural Finance
By Brent Vandekerckhove on 06 Oct 2021
The investment world is based on decisions humans make regarding money every day – some decisions lead to positive outcomes, and others have negative results.
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Personal Finance 101
By Shaun Sun on 06 Oct 2021
I hope settling into a back-to-school “routine” has been going well for parents and students everywhere
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It’s not about a rate of return
By Daniel Sitar on 26 Nov 2020
As the saying goes, money cannot buy happiness. However, having confidence in your financial decisions and your ability to reach your long-term objectives results in security and peace of mind
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Financial Tips for Young Adults
By John Hale on 20 Oct 2020
Recently, my nephew and I went out for lunch to celebrate his acceptance to the University of Victoria. I would like to share some of the financial advice I passed on to him.
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Choosing an Investment Fund
By Bryn Hamilton on 24 Jan 2019
For the purposes of this piece, we will be focusing on managed money and, in particular, mutual funds. An investment advisor who chooses investment funds on behalf of a client is implementing what’s called Overlay Money Management.&nbs
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How Small Things Can Make a Big Difference
By Brett Simpson on 22 Oct 2018
After thirty-five years of financial advising, I would like to share some insights I’ve recognized as important ingredients in effective integrated wealth management.
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The Big Six Bias
By Cory Hill on 09 Jul 2018
Today, many of us have fragmented relationships with our financial institutions. Gone are the days when we would head to our local bank branch to take care of our monthly bills, deposits,withdrawals and update our bank books,
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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?
Posted 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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The Importance of Budgeting
By Nick Hearne on 03 Jul 2017
A strong awareness and understanding of your personal finances is an integral part of the financial planning process. This holds true regardless of your phase in the financial life cycle.
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Q and A: Can I have more than one Tax Free Savings Account? With different institutions?
Posted on 03 Apr 2017
Yes, you can have more than one Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA), with different institutions.
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Shopping for a New Car – To Lease or To Buy?
Posted on 03 Apr 2017
You’ve made the decision to purchase a new vehicle, and now you must ask yourself – should I lease or should I buy? This is a question that we come across time and again with our clients.
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A New ‘New Year’s Resolution’ – Talking to your Kids about Money
Posted on 02 Jan 2017
A New Year is underway and some of us have already broken our New Year’s resolutions…
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Investing Your Tax Refund: Failing to Reinvest your Refund undermines an RRSP’s efficiency
By Bryn Hamilton on 02 Jan 2017
The idea of a tax deduction against your taxable income and the refund it generates is a very attractive idea to many. That vacation we had been thinking about all year is finally afford- able knowing we have that nice chunk of money c
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Do Corporate Class Mutual Funds Still Make Sense?
By Jon Knutson on 02 Jan 2017
Canadian mutual funds can take the legal form of a trust or corporation. While most funds are structured as mutual fund trusts, some are structured as mutual fund corporations. The latter are also known as corporate class funds.
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Preferred Shares
By John Hale on 03 Oct 2016
It's no secret that today's low interest rate environment poses a real challenge for Canadian.
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What's Right When Things Go Wrong?
By Brett Simpson on 03 Oct 2016
There are some risks that we take purely for the fun of it: skinny-dipping, roller coasters, even alcohol consumption. These risks range from fairly benign to potentially catastrophic.
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Q and A: How do I take advantage of the Government of Canada online tools and resources?
Posted on 01 Jul 2016
A good place to start would be to register to access your information with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) online.
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Q and A: How can I find out how much I have contributed to the RESP of each of my children and how much of the CESG they have received?
Posted on 01 Jul 2016
To get this information, you, as the subscriber for the RESPs, will need to call the Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) toll-free line at 1-888-276-3624, between the hours of 8am and 5pm (ET), Monday to Friday.
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The Loonie
By Chris Eynon on 01 Jul 2016
In 1987, the Royal Canadian Mint produced a small, gold-colored coin (actually, it is currently made of steel with brass plating) to replace our paper one dollar bill.
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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
Posted 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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Financial Literacy: Talking to our Children about Money
By Vera Vlaovich on 01 Jan 2016
Teaching our children about money and how to handle it can oftentimes be a difficult topic for many parents.
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Passive Investing…These Aren’t Your Parents’ Index Funds Anymore!
By Cory Hill on 01 Jan 2016
By definition, passive investing is best described as an investment strategy that tracks a market-weighted index or portfolio.
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Quantifying the Value of Advice
By Alain Quennec on 01 Oct 2015
Earlier this year, the investment firm Vanguard released the results of a major study attempting to quantify the value of financial advice to investors.
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The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)
By John Hale on 01 Apr 2015
A question faced by loved ones who care for family members that suffer from disabilities is, “How will I protect them once I am gone?”
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Benefits for Families in British Columbia
By Chris Eynon on 01 Apr 2015
The federal government announced a new tax credit that they are referring to as the Family Tax Cut.
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Case Study: The Costs of Health
By Shaun Sun on 03 Jan 2015
Don and Jane Smith are the proud and loving parents of 2 children age 15 and 16. At a meeting with their accountant, one of the topics of concern for the family is the large health costs...
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How Things Change, But Line Items Look the Same
By Bryson Milley on 01 Jan 2015
Over the past 30 to 40 years, investment management styles and techniques have changed quite a bit.
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Your RRSP Roadmap
Posted on 01 Jan 2015
With the RRSP deadline fast approaching (the deadline for the 2014 tax year is March 2nd, 2015), I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some insight on the rules of the road for RRSPs.
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Your Estate Planning, Taking a Second Look
By Anne Hammond on 01 Oct 2014
On February 16th, the BC government did the first reading of its 2016 provincial budget. As always, there is both good and bad news for BC residents, depending on their personal situations. Here are some of the highlights.
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Q and A: Can you explain BC-specific children RESP grants?
Posted on 01 Apr 2014
Yes, the BC Training and Education Savings Grant was introduced this year. It is meant to help families start planning and saving early for education beyond high school.
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Securing Your Children's Future
By Chris Eynon on 01 Jan 2014
My wife and I had a baby boy on August 5, 2011. He just turned two and shares his birthday with his grandmother Ann. Liam is my first child and my wife Rita’s second.
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Tax Savings and RRSPs
By John Hale on 01 Jan 2014
Many of our clients use Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) as one of the pillars of their wealth building strategy. An RRSP is a type of retirement savings plan that is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.
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Saving for Retirement
By Vera Vlaovich on 01 Jan 2013
RRSPs were introduced in 1957 by the federal government to encourage Canadians to save for retirement.
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Review Your Variable Rate Loans in light of Higher Interest Rates
By John Hale on 16 Mar 2022
On March 2nd, 2022, the Bank of Canada increased its overnight interest rate by 0.25% to 0.50%, in what is widely expected to be the first of a series of small rate hikes this year to cool the economy and tame inflation.
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Preserve and Improve your Credit Score
By Nick Hearne on 17 Nov 2020
A solid credit score is your endorsement as a desirable borrower, providing you with access to capital at better rates, saving you considerable interest costs and helping you achieve your financial goals.
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Informal Trusts
By Christian White on 20 Feb 2019
Informal trusts, or ITFs, are a tax-efficient way to provide a savings plan for a minor child. These accounts can be used for funding future education, protecting an inheritance or, as is often the case...
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A Few Financial Resolutions for the New Year
By Anne Hammond on 24 Dec 2018
Once all the Christmas dinners are done, the guests have gone home, the Boxing Day shopping is done, our new purchases are safely home, and the house is quiet as we wait to bring in the New Year, our thoughts often begin to turn toward
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The Benefits of Student Credit Cards
By Debbie Saleem on 19 Nov 2018
When my oldest son turned 19 last year, he was very surprised when I insisted that he apply for his first credit card – a student credit card with a low limit and no annual fee. He happily obliged!
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Sequence of Returns Risk
By Nick Hearne on 17 Sep 2018
Most investors understand that to achieve their long-term target rate of return, they will need to accept some volatility in the short and medium term.
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Holiday conversations…
By Mark Neufeld on 19 Dec 2017
As we approach the holiday season, you’ll hopefully find some time to spend with family and/or friends. Many conversations will be had and some may be about that overdone turkey and some may even be about the investment markets.
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What is responsible investing
By Linson Chen on 03 Dec 2017
Responsible investing (also known as ethical investing and socially responsible investing) is growing in popularity as more investors are seeking to align their portfolios with their values.
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Currency Impact on Portfolios
By Jon Knutson on 24 Oct 2017
Over the last 5 months, the Canadian dollar has risen substantially versus the US dollar (an approximate 13% increase). This is good news for shopping across the line, but bad news for the US dollar exposure within our portfolios.
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The Ultimate Currency
Posted on 20 Apr 2017
What is the ultimate currency? Is it money? Canadian dollars or U.S. dollars? Is it gold or real estate? No, the ultimate currency is not a tangible asset at all. You can’t save time. You can only spend it… Benjamin Hoff, The Tao
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Don’t Overlook a Guarantee of 20%, ever
By Christian White on 23 Jan 2017
When a child is a resident of Canada and receives a permanent social insurance number, they instantly qualify for Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) benefits.
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Taking Stock and Making Resolutions
By Anne Hammond on 15 Dec 2016
As the year draws to a close… if you’re like me, you may be looking back over the year – considering what worked, what didn’t, and what you might like to do differently or focus on next year.
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Less Time Shopping, More Time Planning
Posted on 17 Oct 2016
We haven’t hit Halloween yet, but I have already seen Christmas decorations at Costco.
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Making that RRSP contribution before the deadline
By Shaun Sun on 16 Feb 2016
So, you haven’t fully ‘topped-up’ your RRSP? There’s still time to make a contribution and have it count towards reducing your taxable income earned in 2015, if you do so before February 29th. Here are some things to consider before
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How will the new Federal Government impact your finances?
By Mark Neufeld on 15 Dec 2015
Changes are coming with the new Federal government. Not all the details are known yet, but here is a brief summary of some of the changes that may impact your finances:
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The BC Training and Education Savings Grant
By Jon Knutson on 14 Oct 2015
In February 2013, the BC government announced that any BC resident with an RESP for a child born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, may apply for a one-time grant of $1,200 between the child’s sixth and seventh birthday. Two years have passed
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A New Year’s Resolution You Shouldn’t Break – Saving For Retirement!
Posted on 14 Feb 2014
Many of us set New Year’s resolutions for ourselves and often those resolutions have to do with finances. January is the month we say, “Ok, this year I am going to save more and spend less”. By February, sometimes those resolutions are
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Segregated Funds - Investing with a Safety Net
Posted on 16 Jan 2014
Investing today is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately for Canadians, segregated fund products offered by many life insurance companies provide a safety net for nervous investors.
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The Costs of Health
By Shaun Sun on 03 Jan 2015
Don and Jane Smith are the proud and loving parents of 2 children age 15 and 16. At a meeting with their accountant, one of the topics of concern for the family is the large health costs...
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Registered Disability Savings Plan
By John Hale on 30 Dec 2014
Recently, one of my clients explained that their adult son had suffered from mental illness since he was a late teen and they wanted my advice on how they could help him secure his financial future.
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Registered savings and pension plans
Government of Canada information on various registered plans including RRSP and TFSAs
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