It’s tax season, a time when many people’s thoughts turn towards their tax refund and what they’ll do with it. Should you put it towards your mortgage, add it to your RRSP or make a TFSA contribution? While many financial institutions often recommend one of those options, we might suggest a different one: don’t get a tax refund at all.
Those Canadians (45%) who say that they have a retirement plan feel less stressed about their future because retirement feels more attainable. However, many of those are unaware of what a real retirement plan looks like. Regularly saving in a company pension plan, an RRSP or a TFSA is not a retirement plan.
Many of us understand the value of the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP): almost six million Canadians make RRSP contributions every year.1 Most of us also know about the tax benefits of RRSP contributions and that it’s an extremely versatile and effective retirement planning tool.
A year ago, many countries were managing through their second wave of COVID-19 infections. Many equity markets nevertheless had staged a full and complete recovery to their pre-COVID highs. Despite the equity recovery, investors were still nervous. A year ago, we had just started to hear news of pending approvals of COVID vaccines.
Many Canadians designate a direct beneficiary on their RRSP, RRIF, TFSA or insurance policies without giving it a second thought (although in Quebec, beneficiary designations are only effective on insurance policies). However, designating a direct beneficiary is not recommended for many plan/policy owners, where they have non-traditional or unique family situations, as it can lead to unfavourable tax implications for beneficiaries.
Did you know that many Canadians are not adequately prepared to pass on or inherit family wealth? This is often due to a lack of communication and planning. The good news is that it’s never too early or too late to start. Planning helps you identify tax saving opportunities, mitigate potential financial gaps and maximize your current lifestyle.
When we are young, life insurance is used to protect our family by providing money to replace our income. However, as we approach retirement our need for income replacement lessens and the focus switches to wealth protection. Wealth protection is a permanent concern, so it requires permanent solutions.