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?

Many of us are blessed to have older family members enriching our lives, but they often require a significant amount of care, and their caregivers can, in turn, require more help. At a time when politicians and potential leaders debate subsidized child care, are we missing an opportunity to discuss whether the tax system is doing enough to recognize the real and increasing costs of elder care?

Especially for experienced tax and financial advisors, unique planning opportunities with Canada’s top experts will provide 10 CE/CPD Credits and access to 2015 tax calculators.

Operating across national borders is easier and more common than ever, driven by technology and economic changes that make it appealing for individuals and businesses to purchase investment property globally.

Let’s face it, we all appreciated the financial support we got when we were struggling students. For those contributing financially to someone else’s post-secondary education, those kind family sacrifices can bring tax rewards even though the amounts have neither risen nor been indexed recently.

New value propositions are cropping up for investors everywhere today. . . but humans are not the only ones delivering. Is Robo-advice a competitive threat or a potential competitive advantage to advisors in multi-generation planning? 

A diverse client base can present some challenges to financial advisors, but also many opportunities, especially if you embrace diversity and tailor your practice to the needs of Canada’s changing demographics. New stats will be interesting to you if you plan to grow with this exciting new market, especially with young families.