“Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone.” - Frederic Bastiat
By the time that you read this article, it is very likely that the Federal elections will soon be over. When all the back slapping, hand wringing and hyper-analysis is done, the new political regime will be faced with one inescapable challenge.
Ron and Susan are arranging a mortgage and the banker asks if they'd like to include life insurance to pay it off on death. Sounds like a good idea, so they decide to take it. After filling out and signing a few more forms, they have it.
Starting in January 2017, the allowable cash value build up under tax rules in life insurance policies will change. The federal government introduced changes in December 2014 that are designed to modernize life insurance exempt testing rules as they have discovered that people are living longer and that their insurance policies will pay out later.
As a result of this new legislation, the affected demographics are middle-class consumers, business owners and wealthier Canadians looking to pre-fund their estate tax bills using cheaper life insurance dollars at death.
If you are sitting neck deep in debt, living beyond your means, and still calm and collected about your own financial well-being, then chances are, you are one of the many millions of people expecting an inheritance at some point in the future. Like other inheritance recipients, perhaps you are expecting your personal balance sheet to align just as soon as your parents or a favorite grandmother or aunt passes away. The question is, though, is that really a sound strategy for dealing with your current finances?
Convert RRSPs to income - Roger and Sarah, retired for several years, have delayed taking income from their RRSPs so they could enjoy the tax deferred growth as long as possible. They must start an income from their RRSPs before the end of the year they turn age 71.
Review investment portfolio - Joanne had been using investment funds to save for retirement. She had benefited over the long term by investing in equities, but wants a more income-oriented portfolio with less volatility for her retirement income needs.
It is not uncommon for an individual or organization, such as a charity or community tennis club, to consult a financial planner or investment advisor regarding investment returns that can be generated on some spare cash that is not needed in the immediate future.
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