Estate Planning

The first piece of the puzzle

Planning for the day a client passes away is one of an advisor’s more difficult tasks. It’s not just an emotional experience, it’s complex too. Although the practical tasks that accompany a death range from assisting with the will to finding an executor and working with powers of attorney, end of life issues often involve […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |November 15, 2010

4 min read

Estate Planning

The crucial conversation

“It was a strange situation,” says Michael Berton, recalling one of his more unusual estate planning cases. “But it’s what the family wanted to happen.” The story goes like this: Husband and wife, Chet and Marie (not their real names), had a joint account. It was assumed that since Chet, who had been in the […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |November 15, 2010

4 min read

Estate Planning

Passing the baton

Many Canadians have built their wealth by operating a small business. Now, with an aging workforce and an economy on the upswing, many owners are weighing the benefits of selling their business to a third party or of transitioning it to a family member.

By Anthony Maiorino |September 1, 2010

6 min read

Estate Planning

Joint accounts and survivorship rights

It’s a commonly used financial device between spouses

By Daniel J. Dochylo |September 1, 2010

6 min read

Income splitting in the TFSA era

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: The practice of income splitting has been around for decades. Simply put, it’s the process of shifting income recognition from someone in a high tax bracket to someone in a low bracket. And, most often it’s carried out between spouses. With the implementation of the tax-free savings account […]

April 6, 2010

4 min read

Provinces crack down on aggressive tax planning

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: On the surface, inter-provincial tax planning appears pretty simple—clients should assume they’ll pay tax on any income or disposed assets based on the rates of the province they live in. But wealth management strategies tend to be more complex than that, especially if there are ways to avoid […]

4 min read

For retirees, the cupboard is bare

For most retirees looking for a helping hand from the federal budget on Thursday, there was only one piece of good news: they likely won’t have to cope with any complex changes to their finances. In the spirit of belt-tightening, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty had few bones to throw to seniors. Aside from a […]

By Steven Lamb |March 4, 2010

4 min read

U.S. estate tax laws are changing

retain a step-up in basis; and allow a deduction for state death taxes. Alternative 4 would: repeal the estate tax in 2010; retain a U.S. $1 million gift tax exemption; and institute a carryover basis regime. The main purpose of the CBO’s alternatives is to analyze the financial impact of options already proposed. These reports […]

6 min read

Estate Planning

The first piece of the puzzle

The crucial conversation

Passing the baton

Joint accounts and survivorship rights

Selling a business effectively

Income splitting in the TFSA era

Provinces crack down on aggressive tax planning

Step-by-step selling

For retirees, the cupboard is bare

U.S. estate tax laws are changing