Toronto stock index up, Wall Street mixed, as loonie moves lower + MORE Feb 16th

The “Big Five” Canadian banks offer investment funds and include Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank (TD Canada Trust), Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Let’s explore the best place for you to invest.
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Canadian Real Estate Prices To See The Sharpest Drop In Global Downturn: Goldman - Better Dwelling - Better Dwelling Jul 4th

Canadian Real Estate Prices To See The Sharpest Drop In Global Downturn: Goldman - Better Dwelling  Better DwellingCanadian home sales could decline 23% in 2022: TD | Urbanized  Daily HiveCalgary home sales slowed in June: CREB | CTV News  CTV News CalgaryHome sales to .... More »

New documents link Huawei to suspected front companies in Iran, Syria Jan 8th

The U.S. case against the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies, who was arrested in Canada last month, centres on the company’s suspected ties to two obscure companies. One is a telecom equipment seller that operated in Tehran; the other is that firm’s owner, .... More »

Cardi B. and Elon Musk Think We’re Headed for a Recession Jun 9th

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and rapper Cardi B. are sounding the alarm on the economy.  Last week, in an email to Tesla executives titled “pause all hiring worldwide,” Musk said he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy and told executives to cut 10 per cent of jobs at the company. (Sin.... More »

A parents’ guide to home down payment gifts and loans + MORE Aug 20th

It used to be that parents budgeted for post-secondary education or contributing to the costs of a child’s wedding. But now, I am increasingly finding parents planning for home down payment gifts. The statistics support this and show an increase in down payment help in recent years. A CIBC stud.... More »

Retirement taxes explained: Withholding, clawbacks, and other surprises Sep 17th

Many working-age Canadians wonder what the impact of retirement will be on their tax situation. As you save and build wealth, it is important to plan for the eventual tax treatment of your retirement assets and income as you approach that transition.   Taxation in Canada When you are.... More »
Canadian real estate sales just fell the most since 2008. Here’s why.This article originally appeared at Better Dwelling.
Canadian real estate sales just fell off a cliff. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) numbers show a decline of buyers in January. The decline is one of the largest in Canadian history. Some agents claim this is temporary, but it’s in line with the estimated declines we posted earlier.
Canadian real estate sales drop over 13 per cent
Canadian real estate sales made large declines. CREA reported 39,609 sales when seasonally adjusted for January. This a 13.8 per cent decline from December, and represents a 6.2 per cent decline compared to last year. Unadjusted, that number was just 24,931 sales. It’s normal for a monthly decline in January, but the size should be of concern. CREA noted this is the first time since 2015, that sales have fallen below the 10 year, monthly average.

Largest single month decline since October 2008
January’s monthly decline is one of the largest in the history of Canadian real estate. The decline of 13…

Continue Reading On macleans.ca »

Canadian real estate sales just fell the most since 2008. Here’s why.This article originally appeared at Better Dwelling.
Canadian real estate sales just fell off a cliff. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) numbers show a decline of buyers in January. The decline is one of the largest in Canadian history. Some agents claim this is temporary, but it’s in line with the estimated declines we posted earlier.
Canadian real estate sales drop over 13 per cent
Canadian real estate sales made large declines. CREA reported 39,609 sales when seasonally adjusted for January. This a 13.8 per cent decline from December, and represents a 6.2 per cent decline compared to last year. Unadjusted, that number was just 24,931 sales. It’s normal for a monthly decline in January, but the size should be of concern. CREA noted this is the first time since 2015, that sales have fallen below the 10 year, monthly average.

Largest single month decline since October 2008
January’s monthly decline is one of the largest in the history of Canadian real estate. The decline of 13…

Continue Reading On canadianbusiness.com »

TORONTO – Rising oil prices helped Canada’s main stock index move higher, capping off a week of strong gains for North American markets .
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 44.98 points to 15,452.64, led by the influential energy sector.
South of the border, U.S. stocks finished mostly higher after a see-sawing day.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 19.01 points to 25,219.38. The S&P 500 index added 1.02 points to 2,732.22 and the Nasdaq composite index was down 16.96 points to 7,239.47.
The past week has seen the TSX recover roughly a third of its losses and Wall Street more than half, following a series of wild swings in early February.
The Canadian dollar was trading at 79.75 cents US, down from Thursday’s average price of 79.96 cents US.
The April crude contract was up 38 cents to US$61.55 per barrel and the March natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.56 per mmBTU.
The April gold contract was up 90 cents to US$1,356…

Continue Reading On canadianbusiness.com »

Why you have to split work pensions when you divorce
Q: I am now negotiating a separation agreement with my spouse. I do not want to share my teacher’s pension. We have been married 34 years. During our entire marriage, I worked as a teacher, and I worked on the farm, mainly doing all the financial book-keeping and accounting. Along with that, I have managed our investments and provided him (my husband) with a good income. I was never paid for that. Does that give me a reason to decline to share my pension? He has left because he is an alcoholic. He will use it to continue drinking. He has plenty of money to live very well without my pension.
—Jeanne
A: Unfortunately, Jeanne, when you are negotiating a separation agreement for a long-term marriage, every asset grown during the marriage is up for grabs. The law is such that, any assets that have grown during the time of the of the marriage, pension included, are used to determine the net family property.
In your case working with a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CFDA) could help you determine which assets would be most beneficial to keep…

Continue Reading On moneysense.ca »

If you’re like many Canadians, you’re hoping you’ve paid enough tax for 2017 and may even be looking forward to a hefty tax refund cheque. You can help ensure that happens by knowing the details of your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), what sets them apart, your contribution limit and a whole slew of other things. Here are the basics:
What’s an RRSP
An RRSP is a retirement savings plan that you open at a bank or other financial institution near you. It’s registered by the federal government of Canada, and you can contribute to it up to an annual maximum amount.
What’s special about RRSPs
Contributions to RRSPs are deductible, meaning they can be used to reduce your taxes. Any income you earn in the RRSP is usually exempt from tax as long as the funds remain in the plan; you generally have to pay tax when you withdraw money from the account.

Ten RRSP questions answered »

Who can open an RRSP
If you have earned income, have a social insurance number and have filed a tax return, you can contribute to an RRSP up until December 31 of the year your spouse turns 71…

Continue Reading On moneysense.ca »

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