The method that you use to name a successor, owner or beneficiary of a TFSA makes a big difference to your estate, not only for a TFSA to maintain its tax-exempt status but also to ensure that the assets are distributed to the intended recipients.
Marc and Lorna just bought a house and, like most home buyers, they needed a mortgage. During the financing process, they were offered mortgage insurance by the lender. They wanted to know more before taking the coverage.
Do we control the policy? Because the coverage is usually a group plan, the agreement is actually between the lender and the insurance company. Marc and Lorna would be insured under the policy and pay the premiums, but the lender would be the beneficiary and receive all proceeds on death.
While the Bank of Canada publicly muses about adopting negative interest rates on Government Bonds as a policy tool to stimulate economic growth, the Bank of Japan recently cut its benchmark interest rate below zero, joining several others including the European Central Bank in the negative interest rate club. According to the February 6th issue of The Economist, almost one quarter of the world’s GDP now comes from countries with negative interest rates.
Taking the time and effort to manage your money better is certain to pay dividends in the future. By following the rules of careful money management, it is possible to cut out wasteful outgoings and increase savings, which can mean being $1,000s better off each year. Any of these extra savings can be put aside or spent on your next vacation, car, or even used towards your pension.
Read on to learn about the nine things (in reverse order) that are highly likely to have a negative impact on your personal wealth:
One of the top retirement goals for many is travel. As many as 1.5 million so called "snowbirds" travel to the Southern United States during the winter. With summer just around the corner, thoughts turn to travel within our borders, too. The Canada Safety Council states that a few simple precautions can help ensure a safe, healthy and enjoyable trip any time of the year.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
George Foreman.
With RRSP season upon us, it might be useful to see how the wealthy invest their funds for some indication as to how they differ from average Canadians. As Baron Rothschild famously stated, “The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets…”, and so do the wealthy, even in difficult times. In other words, they are contrarian investors who do the opposite of what everyone else does, which is a lesson that all investors can profit from.
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