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Prepare for Transformative Change

Earn New Specialized Credentials in Tax, Accounting & Wealth Management

​Canada’s Income Tax Fundamentals Course

New! The Starter Program

This stand alone certificate course is a recommended precursor to the Full DMA Vocational Certificate, Diploma or Designation options. Great for those with no prior tax or financial services work experience: 20 hours, 8 chapters, plenty of case studies using professional tax software.


​The DMA™ Designation Program

Enter the Full Program to Specialization

The Distinguished Master Advisor is a technical specialist in one or more financial disciplines: personal tax, corporate tax, accounting,or small business management and business transition services.

Choose from two pathways to earn your DMA Designation:

  • Fast Track with the full program to specialization
  • Take on course at a time


Customize Your Studies!

Select from the suggested curriculum options below (6-30 hour certificate courses in each program) or customize your studies at no extra charge.


DMA - Personal Tax Services Specialist

Learn all aspects of personal tax filing on a deep level for employees, investors, small business owners, seniors and families who experience life events including new births, new personal residences, snowbirding, disability and death. Offer confident, high value advice preparing personal tax returns.

Courses:

  • Professional Income Tax Filing - Level 1
  • Professional Income Tax Filing - Level 2
  • Filing Proprietorship Returns
  • Filing T3 Trust Returns
  • Filing Final Returns at Death
  • Tax-Efficient Retirement Income Planning



Professional Income Tax Filing - Level 1

This course introduces the five anchor profiles upon which every personal tax return is based-credit filing, employees, families and children, investors, and seniors.


Professional Income Tax Filing - Level 2

This course overviews common and advanced client profiles. Included is the dynamic and comprehensive tax research library: EverGreen Explanatory Notes.


Filing Proprietorship Returns

This course for professionals focused on the self-employed business owner that is not incorporated.


Filing T3 Trust Returns

This course introduces the types of trusts that may be created in Canada and how each of them is taxed.


Filing Final Returns at Death

This course deals comprehensively with the taxation of individual’s final tax returns and the new relationship executors have in responsibilities with the CRA.


Cross Border Taxation

This course focuses on emerging issues as baby boomers age, technology makes it possible for people and businesses to operate globally, and economic changes make it appealing for people and businesses to purchase investment property globally. As well as the increase in the sharing of financial information between countries, cross border taxation issues become key for cross border employment, entrepreneurship or asset ownership, as does the issue of residency and U.S. citizenship.


DMA - Business Transition Services Specialist

To professionally advise family business owners on business transitions, this professional must understand tax planning across personal, corporate, and trust structures. Help solve business growth and transition opportunities with confident knowledge.

  • Advising Family Business
  • Tax Efficient Asset Transition Planning
  • Use of Trusts in Tax & Estate Planning
  • Tax Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers
  • Tax Planning for Incorporated Professionals
  • Understanding Business Valuation



Advising Family Businesses

Many small businesses in Canada are owned and operated by individuals who are at or near retirement age and qualified advisors have an opportunity to assist them in planning and implementing succession plans. This course will teach you to create strategies that can help clients and their companies’ function smoothly.


Tax Efficient Transition Planning

This course allows advisors to develop a consistent process for multi-generational planning that looks at the tax-efficiency of both income and capital left for partners and beneficiaries.


Use of Trusts in Tax & Estate Planning

The Introduction to Trusts course offered by Knowledge Bureau covers everything from basic trust mechanics to essential details on trusts for disabled beneficiaries.


Tax Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers

Learn how to advise private business owners and managers about the best ways to manage compensation to maximize the amount of after-tax income available. You will gain a solid understanding of the options available when constructing compensation packages.


Succession Planning for Owner-Managers

Become a valuable resource to your clients in the succession planning process. Key concepts include understanding the importance of succession planning for the business and key positions within the business.


Tax Planning for Incorporated Professionals

This course focuses on personal and corporate tax planning for small to medium-sized businesses, owned and operated by professionals, with a special focus on financial advisors and medical practitioners. Retirement and succession planning is also an integral part of the course.


DMA - Accounting Services Specialist

Learn to apply comprehensive accounting and bookkeeping skills using professional software to multiple business profiles, prepare payroll, and management accounting functions.Deepen knowledge on business succession requirements, too.

Courses:

  • Bookkeeping in a Digital World
  • Accounting for Multiple Business Profiles
  • Advanced Payroll for Small Business
  • Budgeting and Forecasting for Small Business
  • Understanding Business Valuation
  • Accounting for Business Growth & Transition



Bookkeeping in a Digital World

Bookkeeping in a Digital World is the perfect course for professionals in the bookkeeping, tax and financial services who wish to train their administrative staff to prepare company books, or for those with the professional role of preparing books for others.


Accounting for Multiple Business Profiles

In this course, you will learn to manage the bookkeeping functions for a variety of companies to deliver financial results from the simplest to a complex company. Using the features of SAGE 50 and Intuit QuickBooks Desktop, learn advanced bookkeeping for a variety of business profiles.


Advanced Payroll for Small Business

An incorrect approach to the technical side of payroll poses a risk to both employers and their employees: it can cost them money, cause them to incur penalties with the Canada Revenue Agency or worse face legal ramifications. Advanced Payroll will help you become a more astute compliance manager that prepares accurate payroll, who understands the necessary requirements of an employer, federally and provincially, and who can meet the demands of an evolving digital workforce.


Budgeting and Forecasting for Small Business

This course in the Bookkeeping Services Specialist designation program is ideal for bookkeeping, tax, and financial service professionals to gain the skills needed to assist or direct the budgeting process. The course contains references to IFRS and ASPE as well as an updated QuickBooks example.


Understanding Business Valuation

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the fundamentals of business valuation, enabling advisors to understand the key concepts in this important area and assist clients in facing various types of business transactions, including mergers, transfer of an ownership position, sale of a business, or raising capital.


Accounting for Business Growth and Transition

This course addresses a range of areas that might be encountered during the evolution and growth of a company. Topics include organizational structures, consolidated financial statements, foreign exchange, due diligence requirements, and approaches for structuring a business transition.


DMA- Corporate Tax Services Specialist

Learn about corporate tax filing fundamentals and then help owner-managers who may include incorporated professionals plan compensation: salary, dividends, capital gains and bonuses. Assist with transition and succession planning pain points.

Courses:

  • Corporate Tax Filing Fundamentals
  • Tax Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers
  • Tax Planning for Incorporated Professionals
  • Investment Tax Strategies
  • Succession Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers
  • Tax Efficient Asset Transition Planning



Corporate Tax Filing Fundamentals

This course serves as an introduction to the preparation of a corporate income tax return for a small business operating under a corporate structure as a Canadian Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC).


Tax Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers

Learn how to advise private business owners and managers about the best ways to manage his or her compensation to maximize the amount of after-tax income available. You will gain a solid understanding of the options available when constructing compensation packages.


Tax Planning for Incorporated Professionals

This course focuses on personal and corporate tax planning for small to medium-sized businesses, owned and operated by professionals, with a special focus on financial advisors and medical practitioners.


Investment Tax Strategies

This course covers a strategic and tax-efficient investment income planning process which places capital accumulations in the right hands of individuals in the family. The objective is to save capital and earn investment income with tax-efficiency and then to average down the tax paid on both by arranging to share with family members within the tax rules allowed.


Succession Planning for Corporate Owner-Managers

This course will help advisors become valuable resources to their clients in the succession planning process. Key concepts include understanding the importance of succession planning for the business and key positions within the business. It focuses on roles and financial issues, from both the perspectives of a business leader and successor. It also addresses the impact of succession on employees and the business as a whole, and succession of the business to third parties.


Tax Efficient Transition Planning

In this course you will learn a process for helping clients answer their most pressing question about retirement income planning: Will we have enough? By understanding retirement trends leading to a sound knowledge of resulting retirement income periods, the student will understand the focus of planning in three periods: pre-retirement, in-retirement and post-retirement.


DMA-Small Business Services Specialist™

Business owners need to work on their businesses instead of just in them. Help develop business and succession plans as well as foundational policies and procedures to position the firm to scale. Learn more about business contract law, privacy and security matters critical to business success.

Courses:

  • Leading Teams
  • Building Business Plans
  • Scaling Business Operations
  • Understanding Contracts
  • Privacy Principles
  • Succession Planning



Leading Teams

This course will help you understand what is required to build your skills and to be prepared for continuous change as your business evolves towards expansion and maturity.


Building Business Plans

Learn more about how to structure and plan for the financial results you need to grow a market-driven business someone will eventually buy.


Scaling Business Operations

The focus of this course is on establishing and enhancing a company’s operational framework around which client relationships can be built and retained.


Understanding Contracts

The course provides the background information business owners need to understand basic contractual agreements and templates for engagements with customers, sub-contractors and employees.


Privacy Principles

This course will introduce you to your obligations towards management of personal information in your possession. This includes identifying what is personal information and sensitive personal information, best practices in relation management of collection, use, storage, retention, and destruction of personal information so as to build credibility and reputation in your business.


Succession Planning

This course will help advisors become valuable resources to their clients in the succession planning process. Key concepts include understanding the importance of succession planning for the business and key positions within the business. It focuses on roles and financial issues, from both the perspectives of a business leader and successor.


MFA-P™ - Philanthropy

Differentiate Yourself With the MFA-P™ Philanthropy Designation



THE MFA-P™ provides specialized professional credentials to enable high-value philanthropic planning for individual and family legacies.


  • Learn to have highly satisfying conversations with clients about charitable giving.
  • Address their big fears: that gifts will not be used.
  • Plan for solutions that are tax-efficient now and in

    the future.


Designation Programs

For Experienced Tax & Financial Advisors

RWM™ - Real Wealth Manager Designation Program

In this 18-module online program, learn how to manage your clients’ strategic wealth plan as you work as the relationship manager of a multi-advisory and multi-generational team on behalf of your clients.

*Includes 15 professional software tools.

Accreditation: 30 KB | 20 CIRO PD (cycle 10) | 20 AIC Life | 30 ICM | 20 MFDA PD

​MFA-P™ - Philanthropy Program

This program features three comprehensive courses:

Introduction to Strategic Philanthropy
Understanding the Charitable Sector
Strategic Gift Planning

Accreditation: 25 KB | 25 CAGP | 14 IAFE & 1 Ethics | 20 CIRO & 3 Compliance Credits | 15 MFDA PD

​Lifecycle Transitions Planning Certificate

CE for Professionals

Choose 15 CE Savvy Biz Ed Modules from a selection of 80 topics chosen to help engage more effectively in wealth management conversations: Especially for professionals and business owners.

Accreditation: 15 KB | 15 IAFE | 15 ICM | 15 MFDA | 15 FP Canada

​Advanced Family Tax Compliance Diploma

Critical Technical Studies for Professionals

Critical updates! Take all four of Canada’s most popular CE Summits and the accompanying online courses covering audit defence, year end tax planning for investors and owner-managers, the annual advanced T1 Tax update and retirement and estate planning.

Accreditation: 60 KB and several third party accreditors.

FDFS™

Knowledge Bureau Faculty Training and Recognition Program

Fellow of Distinguished Financial Specialists are recognized for the exceptional professional experience, academic achievements and commitment to the engaging others in high standards of knowledge, skills and practice management through teaching, course writing and delivery as well as mentorship and student support in the delivery of Knowledge Bureau courses.

​Research and Client Facing Software Tools

The Evergreen Explanatory Notes Library and Knowledge Bureau Discovery Calculator tools, included with certificate, diploma and designation programs provide access to ongoing tax and economic changes at CRA and Finance Canada. Subscriptions are available post-graduation for continuing professional development. These resources support the publication of Knowledge Bureau Report, a weekly newsletter which interprets breaking tax, economic & investment news.

​Workplace Training - Private Client Programs

Customized curriculum development for strategic partners in business workplaces, associations, mutual fund companies, banks and insurance companies.

Learn Your Way

Online 24/7

Every course you take with Knowledge Bureau counts on your academic pathway. Qualify for tuition rebates by taking a certificate course, diploma program or designation program.

In-Class

Complement your online education with CE Summits. Held in November, January and May, these one-day, instructor-led workshops offer peer-to-peer learning experiences to students who prefer studying in groups.

In-Conference

Annual three-day Distinguished Advisor Conferences focus on finding solutions for the challenges faced by businesses in a global marketplace.

Knowledge Base

Tap into a comprehensive, centralized clearinghouse of trusted information, including great books, Knowledge Bureau Report, online calculators and research libraries.