Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

At this year’s Distinguished Advisors Conference (DAC), one of Canada’s most respected tax experts, Tim Cestnick, Managing Director of Advanced Wealth Planning at Scotiabank, offered insights into the six types of capital inherent in family wealth, and into using trusts to preserve as much financial capital as possible in a transfer of wealth.

Eric Klein of Farber Financial Group got everyone’s attention at the Distinguished Advisor’s Conference (DAC) 2015, with his counter-intuitive (and often entertaining) presentation on “Unsuccession Planning.”

With 2015 almost behind us, the time is now to start planning your educational calendar for 2016.

Canada possesses priceless resources, not just in its natural resources but also in new human resources—gems that are waiting to be uncovered. They are highly educated immigrant women, ready to contribute to the economy in a significant way.

The Canadian economy has deteriorated in the last six months, according to a press release from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), and growth is expected to be slower than anticipated over the next few years. A weaker economy translates into larger deficits over the medium term than the PBO forecast in April, states the report, which was released November 10.

Those who earn more live longer, the longevity gap between men and women is closing and living close to your kids in retirement may turn out, well, differently than you may think. All of these factors and more will change how you think about retirement planning, according to Dr. Michael Finke, a keynote speaker at the Distinguished Advisors Conference (DAC) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, last week. But his biggest “aha” moments came from research on the financial literacy of seniors.