Financial Library

RRSP Vs. TFSA: Which is Better?

With the lifetime contribution room of a TFSA now at $52,000 for most people, TFSAs are now a serious portfolio and investment planning alternative to making RRSP contributions. So which is better you ask? Well, it depends…

If you are a Canadian with significant assets and savings then maximizing your TFSA makes sense as a retirement income planning strategy. The income from it during your retirement years is non-taxable and will not trigger any Old Age Security clawback which starts at $74,780 in 2017.

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Getting the Most from your RRSP

Since its inception several decades ago, the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) has become the most widely used retirement savings vehicle in Canada. In order to get the most from an RRSP, it is essential to plan ahead for future investments to avoid panicked deadline decisions or taking action without fully understanding the long-term impact.

In this article we examine a number of different RRSP savings strategies:

"Just-In-Time" Living

Multiple media reports note that almost 50% of Canadians have no emergency savings and are unable to cover the cost of an unexpected expense of $500 - $1000, let alone deal with an unexpected job loss. Other reports from credit agencies such as Equifax state that even a 0.25% increase in mortgage rates will cause cash flow stress for some Canadians. The good news is that changing this "just-in-time" living IS possible!

Year End Tax Tips

With a few weeks to go before the year-end, you may wish to think about some moves you can take now to save you some taxes for 2016.

Along with the usual advice to do any tax loss selling before December 23rd on any equity investments to offset any capital gains earned in other investments during 2016, there are a few new tax planning strategies that you can take advantage of.

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Saving for a Financial Emergency

It is next to impossible to know when you might be impacted by a financial emergency; therefore, it is important to be prepared for something unforeseen in the future. Most people have heard the saying about saving money for a "rainy day". With the right forward planning, there is a great chance of being able to avoid a financial crisis should this present itself at a later date.

How much emergency funds are enough?

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