Tax

Termination options

Last month’s column outlined various decisions surrounding termination payments. So let’s look at related considerations for your clients, including replacing benefits and what to do with pension plans and remaining stock options. The cessation of health insurance benefits with job loss could be particularly problematic if the terminated employee has a family and no access […]

By Gena Katz |February 1, 2009

3 min read

Pitfalls of leveraging

The notion of borrowing money to invest likely isn’t first and foremost on most people’s minds in a down market. But I’ve come across yet another study touting the benefits of leveraging retirement savings. The release of the June 2008 working paper, Life-Cycle Investing and Leverage: Buying Stock on Margin Can Reduce Retirement Risk, written […]

By Jim Otar |February 1, 2009

6 min read

Cheap U.S. vacation property = big estate tax consequences

Lower United States property values and a stronger Canadian dollar have led many Canadians to consider purchasing their dream vacation properties in the southern U.S. However, while owning U.S. vacation property provides a great escape from the often harsh winters of the great white north, it also exposes Canadians to the U.S. estate regime that […]

By Beth Webel |January 23, 2009

5 min read

TFSAs and estate planning

Much has been written about the new tax-free savings accounts: the accumulation of tax-free income, the ability to re-contribute withdrawals and the capacity to access funds without impact to federally sponsored benefits. But what happens to the TFSA on death of the TFSA holder? Generally, clients who have a TFSA can name a “successor holder” […]

By Wilmot George |January 19, 2009

4 min read