Tax

Estate freeze can enhance succession, planning

A successful entrepreneur usually encounters many difficult decisions when preparing his or her succession and estate plan. One of those decisions is whether to implement an estate freeze. Let’s look in on Michelle , our case study, as she struggles with that question while developing her succession and estate plan. Michelle is 58 years old. […]

By Floyd Gradley |September 24, 2010

9 min read

Tax News

The cost of not getting an education

Most people desire to see their children become well educated, and given the burden of financing post-secondary learning, it’s no wonder education planning and savings has become a staple of the financial planning and investment industry. Of course, the most popular method to save for education is the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). The benefits […]

By Jason M. Pereira |September 16, 2010

6 min read

Tax News

CRA goes after dodgy donors

Time is fast running out for the patrons of “gifting tax shelters” making questionable charitable donations in the hope of making a fast buck. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is tightening the noose around those who are using questionable tax shelter programmes to claim phoney charitable donations. Such schemes typically give the donor a tax […]

By Vikram Barhat |September 16, 2010

3 min read

Tax News

The cost of not getting an education

By Jason M. Pereira |September 15, 2010

6 min read

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.

6 min read

The untapped potential of education savings

Any parent with children heading off to university knows that post-secondary education is an expensive business. This fall, students attending a first year arts program at a typical Canadian university can expect to pay upwards of $10,000 for tuition, fees, room and board. Now, take that first year cost, factor in inflation, multiply by four, […]

6 min read

Capitalizing on corporate mutual funds

Mutual Fund Corporations have been around for some time now but they really exploded on the scene about 15 years ago. Their popularity was sparked by astute advisors and clients looking for ways to reduce income taxes on investments. As a refresher, a mutual fund corporation is a single entity which establishes multiple share classes […]

5 min read

Avoiding questionable expenses

How careful are you, as an advisor, in ensuring the business expenses you claim each year at tax time are appropriate, reasonable and properly documented? A recent tax case decided in April (Platis v The Queen, 2010 TCC 150) involved Toronto advisor Peter Platis, a commissioned commodities and foreign exchange broker employed by Refco Futures […]

3 min read

Tax

Estate freeze can enhance succession, planning

The cost of not getting an education

CRA goes after dodgy donors

The cost of not getting an education

Taking on the CRA

Passing the baton

Joint accounts and survivorship rights

The untapped potential of education savings

Capitalizing on corporate mutual funds

Avoiding questionable expenses