My latest Motley Fool Canada blog is entitled How Monday’s federal election could impact Canadian investors.

As we pointed out Wednesday in an FP blog about an H&R Block survey, a surprisingly high percentage (70%) of voters are influenced by the personal tax implications of the various political platforms and tax is actually the “primary factor” for 28% of voters so polled.

Motley Fool wanted a “non-partisan” look not only at tax but also retirement and pensions, balanced budgets and other economic considerations. But as you’ll see, tax remains a big part of it: income splitting, TFSA contribution room and small business taxation.

Below you can find my latest Financial Post blog, which looks at an H&R Block survey released today that found 70% of Canadians of voting age say the personal tax implications of party platforms “influence” their vote. And a whopping 28% felt tax was the “primary” factor affecting their vote.

You can put me in the latter category too! How about you?

Feel free to append comments below  or in the comments section under the full FP blog, which you can find by clicking on this headline: For many Canadians, this election is about taxes.

My monthly ETF column has just been published at the Financial Post, which you can find under the headline, Jonathan Chevreau: What to consider when buying Emerging Market funds.

Yes, as the piece points out, Emerging Markets have been sustained more than fair share of the market carnage that has been with us — on and off — since late summer. But that, argue some sources, is the beauty of it. Buy low, sell high and all that.

Certainly, there are concerns about Emerging Market debt, but debt is a concern even among the most seemingly vibrant giant US megacap stocks. But if you want to play Emerging Markets equity ETFs, it would seem that now may at least be a time to start nibbling at Emerging Markets.

How much Emerging Markets should constitute of your total portfolio, and which ETFs to play it with, are the subject of the full column.

The third in our series of FWB TV videos is now up at FWB Securities.com and Findependence.TV. Click on How to choose a financial advisor.

In the short (almost 4 minutes), Robin Powell interviews well-known American financial planner Michael Kitces about how the evolution of financial advice has moved from helping clients pick a few actively managed mutual funds that pay commissions to the advisor, to the modern holistic financial planning model that’s generally fee-based. The “Value Proposition” has shifted accordingly from merely helping clients pick funds or investments to helping clients outline their long-term goals, tax filing, retirement strategies, estate and succession planning and all the rest.

If you missed the earlier videos and accompanying introductory blogs, you can find them below:

Who gets the Porsche, you or your investment advisor? (Sept 30)

Don’t assume investment performance is due to manager skill  (Oct 7)

The Hub is pleased to introduce a new writer who will be familiar to many in the financial industry. Back when I was a columnist at the National Post, I often talked to Sandy Cardy, who was a senior vice president at fund giant Mackenzie Financial Corp between 2003 and 2010. She also wrote an estate-planning novel (link in author bio below) and she was always one of the media’s top go-to sources on tax-efficient investing, retirement and estate planning. Sandy and her team were  also the Mackenzie contact on these topics for the nation’s financial advisors. What she’s been doing since 2010 is the subject of her debut blog below. We look forward to being part of Sandy’s Encore Act! She says she will write for us “regularly.”

By Sandy Cardy

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

As a leading authority on financial, tax, and estate planning, I’ve spent many years helping people grow their net worth and preserve the value of their estates.

My mantra to clients has always been “Wealth is built with returns over time.” Because sound, life-long investment strategies have the greatest impact on your financial future, I advised clients on everything from investing for their children’s education to tax efficient investment strategies, and from minimizing their income tax burden to planning for retirement.

Those are important topics, and I’m proud of the contribution I made in helping families prepare for their golden years. The need for understanding investment planning and estate planning is critical. I have always stressed how important it is to plan to have the standard of living you want in the last third of your life – when we won’t likely be getting any paychecks.

Don’t neglect to invest in Health

But three years ago, I realized that the definition of ‘wealth’ I’d been operating under was flawed. That’s when I was diagnosed with a late-stage cancer. I never saw it coming.

I ate well, exercised, and had a fulfilling career and a great family life. But I hadn’t paid enough attention to investing in my health. Continue Reading…