Recommended Reading

Communication is essential in any relationship, and that includes being able to talk about money. In a BMO Financial Group study,1 Canadians cited conflicts over finances (68 per cent) as the primary reason why a couple might divorce; ahead of infidelity (60 per cent) and disagreements about family (36 per cent). Money has the potential to be a source of tension and conflict for any couple, regardless of their net worth. This article provides some suggestions to help you and your partner have more meaningful discussions around money.

You’ve worked hard to build your family’s wealth; that’s why protecting it is a key priority to ensure you are prepared to meet your current and future wealth management goals and commitments. This article discusses several considerations that can help to safeguard and enhance your wealth.

The attached article, Evaluating Portfolio Performance, discusses the different benchmarks and indices that you can use, but also discusses the concept of goals-based investing.

Our goal is to be a leader in investment research, providing investors with insight and actionable money-making investment ideas.

Rates Scenario, covering currencies and markets outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Introduced in 2023, the tax-free First Home Savings Account (“FHSA”) is an innovative registered plan that allows prospective first-time home buyers to contribute up to $40,000 towards their first home, benefiting from tax-free growth. Similar to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (“RRSP”), contributions to an FHSA are tax-deductible, and withdrawals to purchase a first home — including from investment income — are non-taxable, like a Tax-Free Savings Account (“TFSA”).

As a Canadian you may be unaware that your estate could be impacted by U.S. estate tax if you own U.S. securities or U.S. real estate. This article highlights the potential U.S. estate tax implications that could apply to Canadian estates and suggests a number of planning opportunities to help Canadians minimize these taxes. The strategies discussed in this article apply to individuals who are tax residents of Canada and are not U.S. citizens or taxed as a U.S. person. All amounts quoted are in U.S. dollars.

Although Canadian snowbirds reside in the U.S. for only a part of the year, there is the potential of being considered a U.S. resident and, in turn, having to pay U.S. income tax on the same basis as a permanent U.S. resident. This article outlines how the U.S. government determines whether you are a resident for income tax purposes; namely, it covers the criteria for meeting the Substantial Presence Test, Closer Connection Exception and the Canada U.S. Income Tax Treaty Tie-Breaker Rules.

A RRIF is very much like an RRSP in reverse. An RRSP is an account designed to help you save for retirement – a RRIF is an account designed to provide annual income in the form of withdrawals from a registered plan during your retirement. Click to read on about how you can benefit from an RRIF.

The family farm continues to serve an important role in the Canadian economy and, as such, receives special status under Canada’s tax law. In particular, there are two important tax planning strategies that can be used when transferring a Canadian farm property. The Capital Gains Deduction is available to potentially shelter capital gains realized on transfers of qualified farm property, and the Intergenerational Farm Property Rollover (“Intergenerational Rollover”) permits tax-deferred transfers of farm property to other family members. Both strategies can apply to lifetime transfers (i.e., a sale or gift), or to transfers that take place upon the death of the owner. The rules surrounding these strategies are very complex and only a general discussion is provided here.