The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

Guest columnist Dr. Michael Graham, two-time guest lecturer at Knowledge Bureau’s Distinguished Advisor Conference, muses about the economic and political volatility of the day and what Canadian investors can expect as March gathers steam, post-federal budget.  Early registration for this year’s outstanding 15th Anniversary DAC is March 15 – RSVP now.

You don’t have to be Irish to experience some luck this St. Patrick’s Day. Take advantage of our “Luck of the Irish” Special, available now until March 31st 2018.

DAC is Canada’s pre-eminent educational event for the top wealth advisors in the tax and financial services. As an industry and as individuals lucky enough to live in Canada, it’s a great time to work “above our privilege” - that is, to set higher goals, improve services and to give back more in mentorship and engagement to a new client base with vastly different demands of their tax and financial advisors.

Are you a high-income earner—perhaps an executive, or seasonal construction or oil rig worker—who may  suffer a loss of employment?  For the 2017 tax year, the base amount for EI repayment is $64,125.  The amount is indexed year over year and if you get caught with income over this, you’ll likely be unpleasantly surprised when you file your 2017 return .  Here’s why:

Two new measures were introduced in the February 27, 2018 budget that curtail the advantages of investing inside a private corporation, starting in 2019. All was met with a collective sigh of relief, considering the flawed fall proposals. However, there is still a twist - no grandfathering provisions for private corporations under two new proposals:

Do you have clients looking to buy their first home? Ensure they’re familiar with the ins and outs of the Home Buyers Plan to help them fund their purchase.