Insurance policy getting you down? There are always sound insurance alternatives.
Latest News
Why Didn't ObamaCare Work? Dec 25th
More evidence that costly government insurance hasn’t made us healthier..... More »
Tenant Insurance: How much is your stuff worth? + MORE Nov 11th
Tenant insurance is what stops a bad situation from becoming a true worst-case scenario. It protects you from the immediate results of a bad situation, in three very important ways: Contents, additional living expenses and liability.
Those are insurance terms, but here’s what they actually mean to.... More »
Federal deficit through first eight months of fiscal year totals $9.1 billion + MORE Jan 26th
OTTAWA _ The federal government’s deficit for the first eight months of the current fiscal year was smaller than a year earlier as revenue growth outpaced increases in spending.
According to the latest fiscal monitor, Ottawa rang up a deficit of $9.1 billion for the period from April to Novemb.... More »
Federal Equity-Split Program Begins Monday Sep 1st
The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (FTHBI) will officially begin on Monday, September 2. The program was initially announced during the Federal Government’s budget launch in March. The down payment assistance program will be administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and.... More »
Where to find and apply for COVID-19 financial relief Oct 6th
The COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a shock to our economy, shuttering entire industries and leaving many more businesses in limbo, forcing layoffs and loss of income on many people. Fortunately, the Canadian government and several other institutions are offering financial relief for Canadians during th.... More »
Do I really need life insurance?
– moneysense.ca
Q: I am a single 70-year-old woman with a reasonable mortgage of about $115,000 on my home. I have no family and no dependents. On my limited budget I find life insurance on my mortgage is a cost I would rather do without. Do I need life insurance? And if so, then what for?
—Katerina, Halifax
A: You raise a good point Katerina. In general, life insurance is most necessary when you have dependents who would be impacted financially by your death. Typically, life insurance is used as a way to pay off a large debt, such as a mortgage on a home that you want to leave to your heirs. In many of these cases, a term life insurance policy is often the most inexpensive choice and the full face value of the policy pays out on the policy holder’s death. (This is also a great option for many families who often get mortgage life insurance instead, which is more expensive than term life and the payout declines as the face value of the mortgage declines.) Other popular reasons for having life insurance include: Income replacement for dependents; to pay off debt like a mortgage or a line of credit; to create an emergency fund; to cover final expenses incurred upon your death; for estate planning reasons or to leave money to a favourite charity…
Canadians face some tax changes in the new year after a busy 2016
– canadianbusiness.com
MONTREAL — Canadians will ring in the new year with a number of tax changes that will affect the bottom line of federal and provincial governments. Here’s a look at some of them:
Nationally:
The federal government is ending four child tax credits this year: arts, fitness, education and textbooks in 2017. Parents of children under the age of 16 can pre-pay 2017 arts and fitness programs to claim them on 2016 tax returns as long as total spending for 2016 does not exceed $250 and $500 limits, respectively.
It is also cancelling income splitting for families, a tax reduction measure that allowed someone to transfer up to $50,000 of income to a spouse with lower income if they had a child under 18 years of age. The tax credit for income splitting was capped at $2,000.
Offsetting those changes are the Canada Child Benefit and changes to Employment Insurance benefits introduced in 2016.
“High income earners in most provinces will pay more but for the majority of Canadians, these two changes will mean more money in their pockets,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Aaron Wudrick said Wednesday in a news release…
Nationally:
The federal government is ending four child tax credits this year: arts, fitness, education and textbooks in 2017. Parents of children under the age of 16 can pre-pay 2017 arts and fitness programs to claim them on 2016 tax returns as long as total spending for 2016 does not exceed $250 and $500 limits, respectively.
It is also cancelling income splitting for families, a tax reduction measure that allowed someone to transfer up to $50,000 of income to a spouse with lower income if they had a child under 18 years of age. The tax credit for income splitting was capped at $2,000.
Offsetting those changes are the Canada Child Benefit and changes to Employment Insurance benefits introduced in 2016.
“High income earners in most provinces will pay more but for the majority of Canadians, these two changes will mean more money in their pockets,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Aaron Wudrick said Wednesday in a news release…
Manitoba Crown corporations, communications jobs need trimming: premier
– canadianbusiness.com
Manitoba’s Crown corporations, especially their communications departments, seem next in line for Premier Brian Pallister’s cost-cutting efforts.
In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, Pallister touted his 2016 measures to reduce spending in government — cutting the number of cabinet ministers by one-third, eliminating some civil service management jobs, and starting a value-for-money audit of programs and services.
The core government is just the beginning, he said.
“We’re starting on core but we’ll move to Crowns. And the Crowns, because of the nature of monopoly delivery systems, they’re not subject to the same checks and balances that Great West Life or Ikea has to deal with.
“So because of that, they get really big in the middle and at the top.”
Of the province’s big three Crown corporations — Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and Manitoba Public Insurance — Manitoba Hydro is facing the biggest financial challenge…
In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, Pallister touted his 2016 measures to reduce spending in government — cutting the number of cabinet ministers by one-third, eliminating some civil service management jobs, and starting a value-for-money audit of programs and services.
The core government is just the beginning, he said.
“We’re starting on core but we’ll move to Crowns. And the Crowns, because of the nature of monopoly delivery systems, they’re not subject to the same checks and balances that Great West Life or Ikea has to deal with.
“So because of that, they get really big in the middle and at the top.”
Of the province’s big three Crown corporations — Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and Manitoba Public Insurance — Manitoba Hydro is facing the biggest financial challenge…
Tax changes you need to know for 2017
– moneysense.ca
MONTREAL — Canadians will ring in the new year with a number of tax changes that will affect the bottom line of federal and provincial governments. Here’s a look at some of them:
Nationally:
The federal government is ending four child tax credits this year: arts, fitness, education and textbooks.
It is also cancelling income splitting for families, a tax reduction measure that allowed someone to transfer up to $50,000 of income to a spouse with lower income if they had a child under 18 years of age. The tax credit for income splitting was capped at $2,000.
Offsetting those changes are the Canada Child Benefit and changes to Employment Insurance benefits introduced in 2016.
Nationally:
The federal government is ending four child tax credits this year: arts, fitness, education and textbooks.
It is also cancelling income splitting for families, a tax reduction measure that allowed someone to transfer up to $50,000 of income to a spouse with lower income if they had a child under 18 years of age. The tax credit for income splitting was capped at $2,000.
Offsetting those changes are the Canada Child Benefit and changes to Employment Insurance benefits introduced in 2016.
How the federal budget will affect income tax
“High income earners in most provinces will pay more but for the majority of Canadians, these two changes will mean more money in their pockets,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Aaron Wudrick said Wednesday in a news release.
Several other changes at the federal level will affect life insurance, business owners selling their companies and some mutual funds…
