Tag Archives: RRSPs

An advisor’s six top tips for personal finances

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AdrianBy Adrian Mastracci, KCM Wealth

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Investors know that not all parts of personal finances are created equal. Some areas definitely have more impact on the money strategies.

Questions always arise as to which ones to best consider closely. I’ve identified a half dozen key money moves for practically everyone.

A smart step for individuals and families is to prioritize my six core financial matters. Place them at the front of the line and attend to them in detail.

Try not to start the discussions within the comforts of your home. Instead, plan a few walks with your spouse and, perhaps, Fido.

It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors and have a relaxed chat about the finances.
Make it a fun outing by indulging in that favourite treat.

My suggestions touch on the core of investing, estate planning and retirement.
Your mission is to ensure that each area delivers.

Explore whether a few tweaks would fortify your foundations.
You want each area to fit like a glove into your total game plan.

I summarize six core areas that benefit from your focus: Continue Reading…

Climb into a higher tax bracket — and save money

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MoneySense.ca has just published the second instalment of my new Retired Money columns. Click on the highlighted headline for the full piece: Climb into a higher tax bracket — and save money.

Yes, the concept may seem at first blush a bit contradictory but strange things can happen when you’re in the netherworld between full-time employment and full-stop retirement.

A period of semi-retirement (or what we call Victory Lap Retirement in an upcoming book I’ve written with Mike Drak) brings with it various opportunities to pay a little more tax than necessary while you’re “basking” in a relatively low tax bracket, in order to pay a lot less tax once those large RRSPs grow into even larger RRIFs and their forced annual (and taxable) withdrawals once you reach age 71.

dougdahmer
Emeritus Financial Strategy’s Doug Dahmer

One of the sources for the piece is Emeritus Financial Strategies’ Doug Dahmer, a Hub contributor who has penned many blogs on this theme, most of them housed in the Decumulate & Downsize section. Doug is pictured to the right.

Check out some of his earlier Hub guest blogs:

Debt is more than a four-letter word during your drawdown years. 

Timing of CPP Benefits: Get both a bird in the hand and two in the bush. 

A Rare Breed of Financial Planner. 

How to liberate your RRSP losers

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Retro poster with the slogan Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, on crumpled paper background with sunburst effect. EPS10 vector formatMy latest Financial Post column looks at how to find a silver lining in the losing stocks in your RRSP. See If you’ve got losing stocks in your RRSP, now may be the time to set them free. It’s also in the Wednesday paper.

I have to admit this is a controversial topic and had I not been introduced to it by the unidentified advisor in the piece, it would never have occurred to me. (the firm’s compliance department didn’t want him identified)

Nonetheless, depending on your tax bracket and your desire to start “melting down” your RRSP or RRIF, it could make sense. See also last weekend’s Hub blog by Doug Dahmer, which provides further context to this particular strategy: Debt is more than a four-letter word during your drawdown years.

Bottom line is, and as Dahmer often says, one of the biggest expenses in retirement is tax. By paying a little more tax now than you have to — if you’re in a lower tax bracket — you may be able to avoid paying a lot more tax down the road, which can happen once you reach age 71 and are subject to annual forced RRIF withdrawals that are fully taxable.

Not intuitive, I realize, but as the Fram Filter folk say, “You can pay me now or you can pay me later. “

20 different ways to use your tax refund

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Tax refund ahead clock

By Adrian Mastracci, KCM Wealth

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Let’s examine some wise ways to apply your tax refund in 2016. There are no shortages of sound possibilities for the personal finances.

Everyone can reap value from these practices. For example, refunds can be spent, saved and invested.

First park the refund into a saving account to resist impulse, say for 30 days.It gives you time to reflect and evaluate your needs and options. Try your best to get lasting value from this worthy source of cash. Many of the allocations you make are typically not reversible.

Here are 20 sensible ideas dealing with your tax refund: Continue Reading…

“Top 10” Early Tax Planning Tips for 2016

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David Rotfleisch-03-500W
David Rotfleisch

By David Rotfleisch

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

While tax season for calendar 2015 is just around the corner, the best time to influence your tax position for calendar 2016 is: right now. Here are the “Top 10” early tax planning tips for 2016 to help reduce your tax, contribute to your RRSP, help out family members, and also support your favourite charities.

  1. Adjust Source Deduction amounts

Salaried employees have income tax deducted by their employers from each pay cheque. The amount of these deductions is computed on the assumption that the employee is only entitled to the basic personal exemption. Taxpayers with other exemptions such as children can fill out and give their employers a CRA form TD-1 http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/td1/README.html showing other deductions to which they are entitled, thereby reducing the amount of taxes that will be deducted at source. For deductions that don’t appear on the TD-1 form, such as spousal support payments or RRSP contributions, form T1213 Request to Reduce Tax Deductions at Source http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t1213/README.html can be submitted to CRA.

  1. Contribute to an RRSP as Soon as Possible

While many Canadians contribute to their RRSPs in the first 60 days of the year, the earlier the contribution is made, the more the RRSP benefits from the effects of compounding. If you don’t have a lump sum to make your annual contribution at the start of the year, consider making regular monthly payments. The RRSP limit for 2016 is the lesser of 18 per cent of 2015 earned income or $25,370.

  1. Income Splitting

Continue Reading…