Publications

This article provides information on how, and when, to withdraw funds from an RESP, as well as information on qualifying educational institutions and programs. In situations where the RESP beneficiary decides not to pursue post-secondary studies or leaves before completing a qualifying program, the subscriber of the plan must decide what to do with the money that has accumulated in the RESP.

When a child starts to receive or earn their own money through an allowance, family gifts or a part-time job, their natural instinct is to spend it all. However, it’s never too early to start teaching children the importance of savings, and to respect the fact that money can also serve other goals, like sharing it to help others.

Grandparents and other loving relatives often wish to make a gift of money to a minor child, whether it’s to start an education fund, purchase that first car or just allow the workings of time and money to benefit the child in the long term. To keep things “simple,” these gifts are frequently set up as informal trusts in “in-trust” or “in trust for” accounts (“ITF”). While these accounts are less complex and expensive than traditional trusts, there are certain things that should be considered when these types of accounts are set up.

A popular tax strategy involves the use of a prescribed rate loan to split income amongst family members. Despite the recent increase in the prescribed rate from 1% to 2%, the ability to lock in the current 2% rate is still attractive. However, in light of the recent announcement by the Canada Revenue Agency of an additional, forthcoming increase in the prescribed interest rate from 2% to 3%, effective October 1, 2022, you will need to act quickly to lock in the current rate of 2% to take advantage of the income-splitting benefits of this strategy.

Nearly two in five business owners are wondering who will take over their business and how they will transition it to a successor. However, the majority of them do not have a formal plan to exit their business or preserve the continuity of the business upon retirement. As small business owners shift gears and look to retirement, decisions about when and how to retire will have a significant impact on their personal financial situations and the future of their businesses.

Retiring from your own business can be difficult after having invested the better part of your working years to achieve success. And, business owners who want to pass on that successful business may be faced with a bigger dilemma of if and how to transfer the wealth they have accumulated through their business. A number of critical factors need to be considered including how they will exit from their business, the valuation of the business, family considerations and expectations and their own retirement plans.

The Global Equity Weekly provides timely analysis of major economic trends, and how they impact stocks and financial markets more broadly. The latest economic data, interest rate moves and earnings trends all drive the performance of your portfolio. In addition to analysis from the Economics team, this report offers a set of charts and tables to track market performance.