A Challenge for New Clients: How to Choose a Trusted Advisor

If you’re in business for yourself, you have a unique opportunity to build wealth in an asset class that others don’t have: equity in a business enterprise that some day may be sold for millions of dollars. In addition, that business can spin off income for family members that can provide significant tax advantages, done well. Understanding how to realize on this asset requires the help of a trusted financial advisory team. Who should be on that team and how do you find them? This is a challenge your next new business clients may wrestle with. Here are some tips on how you can open discussions to help them:

The Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors (DAC) 2025 was an outstanding success in a gorgeous location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! We are pleased to share a memorial Special Report and picture gallery with Knowledge Bureau Report Readers! Take a moment to share in the joy of education, collaboration and networking! Then mark your calendar for DAC in pristine and beautiful Victoria, B.C., November 22-24, 2026. 

The 2026 tax filing season brings substantive changes, heightened CRA expectations, and an increased need for precise, defensible T1 preparation. The CE Savvy Summit: January 21, 2026 Advanced Line-by-Line T1 Update provides experienced tax, accounting and wealth professionals and their teams with the technical depth required to navigate updated filing positions with confidence. Register by December 15 to receive your free hard-copy line-by-line Knowledge Journal, affectionately called the Tax Bible included in your tuition. Attend additional events or enrol additional people for tuition savings!

It’s here – a great tool for your clients to help them understand their relationship with the CRA!  Check out the 2026 Tax Filing and Investment Planning Milestones Checklist, which includes CRA filing deadlines and payment dates for various benefits available in 2026.   Share it in your Holiday Greetings this year, courtesy of Knowledge Bureau.  Also, here are our holiday hours – please mark your calendar:

Effective December 4, 2025, the CRA has officially lifted the moratorium it has extended in the transportation industry and intends on levying penalties for failure to report fees paid for services for the 2025 tax year and subsequent tax years.  Here’s what you need to know:

When a commissioned salesperson receives a T2200 form from their employer, it opens the door to deducting employment expenses that are typically off-limits to salaried employees. But what happens when that employer goes bankrupt and the salesperson pivots to self-employment? This article explores the tax treatment of such a transition, using a realistic scenario to illustrate the rules and opportunities available under Canadian tax law.

Charitable giving is a meaningful way to support causes you care about—and in Canada, it can also be a strategic financial decision. While cash donations are common, gifting appreciated securities or valuable personal property such as jewelry can provide enhanced tax advantages. Donating these assets directly to a registered charity allows individuals to avoid capital gains tax and claim a charitable donation tax credit based on the fair market value of the gift.  But they might be surprised by the AMT - Alternative Minimum Tax.  That’s where a tax specialist and a great income tax calculator comes in.