When it comes to building a strong financial foundation for retirement, most Canadians focus on stocks, bonds and mutual fund, among other investments. While these are essential pillars of a strong Investment plan in the early and accumulation years, there’s another tool that often flies under the radar, especially during retirement, that can provide significant peace of mind: annuities.

As a business owner, there are times when you might find yourself needing quick access to capital for unexpected opportunities or challenges. Traditional loans and credit lines can take time to arrange, may even have some hiccups to get approval, and sometimes you just need the funds right away. One lesser-known but highly effective strategy to gain immediate financing in Canada is through an Immediate Financing Arrangement (IFA), specifically using an insurance policy as collateral.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a key social insurance program that provides Canadians with income during retirement, as well as in cases of disability or death. Funded through mandatory contributions from employees and employers, it replaces a portion of pre-retirement income to ensure financial support after individuals stop working. For many Canadians, the CPP is a crucial source of income, especially when other savings or pensions fall short. The CPP plays a vital role in enhancing financial stability in retirement and reducing poverty among seniors.

Your credit score is one of the most important financial indicators in your life, especially when it comes to borrowing money. Whether you're buying or renting a home, applying for a loan, or trying to get a better interest rate, your credit score can have a significant impact on your financial future. In Canada, credit scores range from 300 to 900, with higher scores indicating better creditworthiness. A good credit score can save you money on loans and credit, while a poor score can make it harder to get approved for financial products.

For decades we’ve heard people go on about Home Ownership as being one of the foundations of the Canadian Dream, but there’s been increasing doubt as to whether that actually is the case or not. This subject has gotten a lot more traction, especially within the last 10 years or so, as house prices have seen a significant rise. People have argued back and forth for either side, but sometimes, the numbers just don’t lie.

Bank of Canada announced its interest decision today, lowering the policy interest rate to 2.75%. This follows a series of seven consecutive rate reductions since June 2024, with the cumulative cuts now totalling significant relief from the 5% peak seen in mid-2023. In its press release, the Bank noted that the Canadian economy entered 2025 in a "solid position," but highlighted "heightened trade tensions and tariffs imposed by the US" as key factors likely to "slow the pace of economic activity and increase inflationary pressures." The decision was accompanied by a hawkish tone in forward guidance, suggesting a more measured approach to future cuts.

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) is a new initiative in Canada aimed at helping first-time homebuyers save for their first property. Introduced in the 2022 federal budget, this tax-advantaged account is designed to ease the financial burden associated with purchasing a home. In this post, we’ll explore the key features of the FHSA, who it benefits the most, and how it fits into the broader landscape of homeownership in Canada.

In today's dynamic investment landscape, Mortgage Investment Corporations (MICs) have been gaining popularity as a viable option for individuals seeking both consistent returns as well as income. Whether you're a seasoned investor or new to the world of finance, MICs may provide an appealing addition to your portfolio, particularly for Canadian investors. Let's dive into what MICs are, how they work, and why they may be a great fit for your investment strategy.

Canada's tax system is progressive, meaning that individuals are taxed at increasing rates as their income rises. This can sometimes be confusing, especially when trying to understand the difference between your marginal tax rate, average tax rate, and how much you will actually owe in taxes based on your income. In this post, we'll take a closer look at how taxes are calculated in Canada, specifically in Ontario, and break down how taxes would be calculated for someone earning $250,000 per year, as a salary.

In today’s ever-evolving investment landscape, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are constantly on the lookout for opportunities that can deliver both strong returns and stability. One investment vehicle that has been gaining significant attention among investors in Canada is Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). While real estate has always been a popular asset class for wealth preservation, REITs are an Alternative Investment solution that offer a unique way to gain exposure to this market without the direct management hassle of physical property ownership.

In this series of ‘Investment Basics’, we will go over some of the vehicles Canadians can use to accumulate wealth.

Essentially, in Canada, we (generally) have 5 investment vehicles we can use to accumulate our assets/wealth: RRSPs, Open (Non-registered) Plans, TFSAs (Tax-Free Savings Account), Real Estate and CVI (Cash Value Insurance). Each one of them has their pros and cons and each must be used according to each client’s individual situation and goals.

As we look back on 2024, Canada’s financial and stock markets reveal a mixed bag of performance, and much of the volatility can be traced back to government policies. From rising inflation, increased taxes, high interest rates to sluggish economic growth, the government's handling of key issues has had a significant impact on both the economy and investor sentiment. While there were some bright spots, the year’s overall performance leaves much to be desired for Canadian consumers and businesses alike.

We constantly hear the same thing over and over again – Canadians are struggling financially. They’re spending too much, saving too little and are in way over their heads in debt. We’re often encouraged to work with a Financial Advisor or Financial Planner who can help navigate all these twists and turns and provide us with the knowledge and understanding that we need. However, the challenge comes in when far too many of these professionals focus on products and sales, as opposed to providing real solutions to these problems.

Having a successful business in Canada can sometimes be a double-edged sword. On one hand, revenues, incomes and retained capital are high or significant, but on the other hand, being able to access that capital can be challenging, especially from a tax perspective. While many business owners my decide to invest some of that excess capital into investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds or real estate, any growth or distributions are taxed fairly heavily and can even erode the small business deduction. The situation becomes even more complex when looking for a tax-efficient way to get the excess capital that’s retained in the corporation, into the hands of your estate

Starting a new business venture can be both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. The hope and dreams of success, financial freedom and being your own boss is accompanied by big uncertainties and risks. To add to some of the anxiety, comes the facts: about half of all new businesses will not be around within the next 5, and only about one third will survive 10+ years. The situation often becomes more complex when there are multiple owners and the future success of a business is at risk if proper planning is not done. The unexpected ‘exit’ of a partner due to death, disability, illness or just simply that ‘it’s not working out’ can create a very difficult situation for the remaining business owner(s) and the business itself.

In today’s market, people often look at different ways to diversify their investment portfolio. Specifically, since the market crash in 2008, a lot of investors have been unsure or scared to get (back) in to the markets, and have been looking at alternatives. Real Estate investing has become more and more popular, especially over the last decade, and it doesn’t seem like that trend will slow down any time soon. When most people think about Real Estate investing, they will generally think ‘investment/rental properties’, and although that is a great investment, there are other options.

In a properly designed financial plan, one of the most important areas of discussion is that of “Protection”, by way of Insurance. However, for one reason or another (usually because people don’t like to talk about it or feel they don’t need it), that area of the financial plan often gets overlooked or isn’t designed properly. Protecting your and your family’s lifestyle and standard of living is a very critical component in planning both while you’re alive, and when you’ve passed on. The importance of insurance needs to be addressed and its components need to be understood.

In this post on Insurance Planning, we will focus on the second of the ‘Living Benefits’ - Disability Insurance protection. Continuing from the last post on Critical Illness, this post will illustrate the importance of protecting your ability to earn an income, through Disability Insurance. Disability Insurance is generally the most underserved and undersold part of the Insurance Industry, as a) many Advisors are not having the conversation with their clients and b) many clients don’t realize the importance of protecting their ability to earn an income. However, the numbers state that the probability of injury or disability before age 65 is much higher than getting critical illness or death before age 65.

Big changes are coming to the mortgage landscape, and it may just be what you're looking for!

Starting November 21st, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is eliminating the Stress Test for uninsured mortgage switches.

In this Insurance Planning post, we will go over the first of the ‘Living Benefits’ topics, which is Critical Illness protection (the second being Disability Insurance, which will be in another post). People often think that Insurance Planning is only about Life Insurance – in other words, planning for death – but it encompasses a lot more than just that.