A Challenge for New Clients: How to Choose a Trusted Advisor

If you’re in business for yourself, you have a unique opportunity to build wealth in an asset class that others don’t have: equity in a business enterprise that some day may be sold for millions of dollars. In addition, that business can spin off income for family members that can provide significant tax advantages, done well. Understanding how to realize on this asset requires the help of a trusted financial advisory team. Who should be on that team and how do you find them? This is a challenge your next new business clients may wrestle with. Here are some tips on how you can open discussions to help them:

The changes the Liberal government has introduced for families has some surprising results, now that we’ve had some time to do some number crunching.

It’s reasonably common knowledge that higher wealth accumulators in Canada will want to do some extra planning to avoid the 33% high federal income tax rate applicable to the terminal return of the last surviving spouse.  

Employers are generally required to pay for the premises, assets and supplies used up by their employees in performing their duties, but in some cases the employee will pay for those costs and be able to claim a tax deduction for them.

The Canada Revenue Agency has produced a new Notice of Assessment that is easier to read, a long overdue initiative on the financial literacy front. It will now contain assessments of multiple tax years on one form, which Tax Services Specialists will want to review carefully to ensure the best tax efficiencies are applied over the period, and to preserve appeal rights.

Rather than tinkering with capital gains inclusion rates or changing which assets qualify for capital gains treatment, should governments reconsider taxing capital gains? Some studies suggest that capital gains are fictitious and any taxes thereon result in an economic burden.  Do you agree?

Tax filing time is confusing for most Canadians, but for newcomers it can be completely bewildering.  If you have the opportunity to help with this most important financial document of the year for many families, including new immigrants, consider broaching the following six concepts as a conversation-starter in your role as financial educator.