Financial Briefs

The snowball versus the avalanche

Many people take on several debts, such as a car loan, credit card debts and a line of credit. Here are two methods to tackle multiple debts.

Mutual Fund Investing

Can market timing work?

Every once in a while, historically, a robust stock market suffers a correction or even a crash and then recovers – sometimes quickly, other times over a longer period. We’ve even experienced such market swings fairly recently.

Education Planning

How to make tax-efficient RESP withdrawals

When it comes to withdrawing funds, your Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is different from any other registered plan. It’s all because an RESP is composed of two pools of mutual funds – one pool is taxable, and the other is non-taxable.

Education Planning

Mutual funds in the final phase

In earlier school years, one child’s RESP can vary greatly from another’s. Parents with a higher risk tolerance may favour equity funds, while conservative investors will favour fixed-income funds.

Retirement Planning

Investing in the retirement risk zone

The zone begins several years before you plan to retire and lasts until several years after you retire, and the risk is the market suffering a significant downturn during this critical period.

Family Finance

When your parents may need your help

As your parents age, they may need assistance getting groceries or taking care of the house, but they might also need help with their financial life.

Financial Briefs

Have the lower-income spouse invest

If you and your spouse are in different tax brackets, here’s an easy and highly effective way to save tax on income and growth of non-registered mutual fund investments.

Financial Briefs

Using the principal residence exemption

Many Canadians’ largest tax break is not having to pay tax on the capital gain when they sell their home, thanks to the principal residence exemption. Here are three questions that come up.

Financial Briefs

The mini-RRIF strategy

The latest age to convert a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is 71, but you may want to open a RRIF at 65.

Mutual Fund Investing

International events and your investments

The Trump administration’s policy on tariffs has dominated the news in recent months, as tariffs impact the economy in the U.S., Canada and globally. Stock markets have been affected by the fallout from tariffs and their unpredictable nature – whether tariffs are temporary, permanent or negotiable.