Canada Needs a Financial Plan

According to a July 23 publication by the Fraser Institute, we are getting poorer here in Canada and the prospects for economic growth are looking grim.  This should be of concern to every Canadian concerned about their “real income” – that’s their purchasing power – and by extension - their ability to fund consumption now and for important family milestones in the future:  retirements, education and homeownership.  It’s grim, but there are practical suggestions for a turn around plan. Here’s a synopsis of the report.   

If March 2020 roared in and out like a lion, so did tax pros’ views on CRA’s attempt to improve phone services so far this turbulent tax season. Clearly there is much more to be done as a full 70% of respondents said “no” when we asked:  “This tax season CRA is providing online tools to estimate telephone answering and return processing wait times. Do you think this is a service improvement?”    Here are some of their comments:

With every passing week Canadians are facing enormous changes due to the pandemic and governments are quickly addressing this with new measures to cope with the economic hardships occurring. This week’s revised Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) responds to criticism that the first attempt left too many people out and increases the $900 bi-weekly payment proposed to $2000 monthly for up to four months. Here are the details. 

The province of Ontario postponed its formal multi-year budget forecast to November 15 yesterday, choosing instead to use the earlier-announced budget date of March 25 to table a COVID-19 fiscal action plan. The details are comprehensive, as is our round-up of provincial measures for businesses so far. There are some generous and genuinely interesting provisions. Take a look:

The Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers is a three-month measure that will allow eligible employers to reduce the amount of payroll deductions they’re required to remit to the CRA. It was introduced as part of the government’s pandemic support for businesses. It is already in effect, and we’re sharing the details on how this works.

This new online tax training program is the right one for unusual times in the tax and financial services. Not only does it address the myriad of changes on the 2019 tax return, it also provides an important professional program during an unprecedented health crisis. It is an important training solution for four specific needs:

During this time of uncertainty, more Canadians need to  feel financial peace of mind, and the guidance a qualified Real Wealth Manager™ can provide with a critically important strategy, process and success-oriented skillset. That’s why if you’re looking for continuing professional education, now is a great time earn the RWM™ credentials online. Until March 31 save an additional $50, too.