Claiming Medical Expenses: Free Healthcare?

Free Health Care? Did you know that Canadians spend on average more than $1,000 on medical expenses each year? It’s estimated that government programs, via our taxes, cover about 72% of medical expenses, which means that we pay for the rest. Your clients may be over-paying on their taxes because they don’t know about medical expense deductions. 

According to the Bank of Canada, the record low for the Canadian dollar against the US dollar, since October 1950, was recorded on the January 21, 2002 — just over 15 years ago — when the loonie was worth just sixty-two cents. But there have been some rebounds lately; and this means for some, there may be a tax consequence.

As Canadians, we’re encouraged —conditioned even — for most of our working lives to save as much as we can for retirement in an RRSP and to take advantage of the resulting tax savings and deferral. It’s a great deal. So, what happens in retirement when your clients’ savings have exceeded expectations and are now taxable?

A demographic shift has been happening since 2000: the Canadian population continues to age and live longer, such that the number of seniors is becoming larger than the number of young people under 20, according to Statistics Canada. Financial advisors need to be concerned about the “new” Sandwich Generation.

"Most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than planning their lives." —Author Unknown

Now that the rush of tax season is over, how did your clients do? Were they faced with a big tax bill or did they receive a refund? Perhaps they feel as if they’ve had a less than stellar fiscal year, but they shouldn’t feel discouraged. As you know, mid-year is a great time to review financial goals and to make necessary changes now to ensure a better outcome next year. 

This year’s Distinguished Advisor Conference marks the fourteenth year of DAC. It’s become a great tradition in the world of financial education, and there has never been a better time than now to attend. At this year’s conference in Kelowna, B.C., our speakers will be presenting information and solutions that are relevant to today’s issues.