Don't take government grants for granted + MORE Sep 23rd

With a federal election looming, a promise made by the Conservative government could prove costly for the provinces. During the 2011 election campaign, the Conservatives promised to allow income splitting in 2015 if the federal budget was balanced. With a balanced budget expected shortly, the Tories are mulling over following through with their election promise as a way to entice voters.
Also read: What is Income Splitting?>
How Income Splitting Would Work
Income splitting isn’t something new to Canada; it already exists, but its use is limited.  The Pension Income Tax Credit and Spousal RRSPs are a couple of examples of how retirees use it.
The Conservatives are looking to introduce income splitting on a larger scale,with the intention of benefiting families with children under the age of 18. In their 2011 election platform, the Conservatives said income splitting would allow them to divvy up their incomes to a maximum of $50,000. This would reduce their marginal tax rate and result in a lower bill to the taxman…

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Businesses and investors pressing for green policy
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of corporations, insurance companies and pension funds are calling on world leaders gathering for a U.N. summit on climate change this week to attack the problem by making it more costly for businesses and ordinary people to pollute.
The idea, long advocated by policymakers, economists and environmental activists, is that the world can’t hope to slow the heating of the planet until its cost is incorporated into the everyday activities that contribute to it, such as using gas- or coal-generated electricity, driving a car, shipping a package or flying around the globe.
Business leaders representing trillions of dollars in revenue and retirement savings say they worry that global warming threatens the long-term value of their investments, and they want world leaders to adopt policies that would provide a financial incentive to people to clean up their act.
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Affluence eludes poor crowding into Asian cities
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Down a concrete path, between rail tracks that buzz with each approaching train and a river choked by plastic and raw sewage, Asih Binti Arif cradles her baby and reflects on dreams gone dark…

A U.S. federal judge in Texas ordered Bitcoin Savings and Trust and its owner to pay a combined US$40.7 million after the Securities and Exchange Commission established that the company, which sold investments using the virtual currency, was a Ponzi scheme.

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TORONTO – Soured by problems with the bank he had been using for years, Johnny Hollick was looking for a good reason to take his money elsewhere, and a free iPad seemed like the perfect incentive.
One of the other big Canadian banks was offering the tablet device — an incentive used by some big financial institutions to attract new customers — but Hollick said in retrospect he shouldn’t have been enticed by fancy electronics.
“I do regret it,” the Toronto resident said. “If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Hollick was switching banks because he was dissatisfied with the customer service. It’s a common complaint, but financial advisors say there are more important considerations to make before you pack up your longtime savings and migrate to a new financial institution.
Uprooting your accounts can be an arduous task and without the proper planning it can actually cost you money, with expenses ranging from break fees associated with mortgages to losing interest by cashing out certain investments early…

When it comes to saving for a child’s education, there are many savings options available to you including non-registered accounts, Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Arguably, each type of investment vehicle has its own merits.