The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

During the pandemic, the federal government put temporary changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) program in place.  These special programs will end on September 25, 2022.  Employers will want to refresh their memories both on the pandemic response rules, and now, the return to normal for the purposes of informing management and/or payroll departments who may receive questions from departing employees: 

There may be one silver lining to all this inflation…the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), arguably the best savings vehicle available to Canadians, is about to get even better.

There are four important strategies to maximize income with tax efficiency during both inflationary and potential recessionary headwinds.  Consider introducing them to your clients as part of your fall tax filing strategies:

The financial services industry lost a highly respected member of its community.  Dr. Paul Bates, M.T.S., DPT, FCPA, FCMA, CMC who was an exemplary, accomplished man, a fellow financial author and educator, an outstanding humanitarian and family man, and for so many of us, a true and dear friend. 

An exciting development over the past few decades has been the democratization of alternative investments, bringing these once exclusive set of investments to an ever-increasing group of investors. Advisors must be ready to discuss these products and help their clients navigate the risks and opportunities within the current market.  The alternative investment session at DAC Oct 16-18, led by Jennifer Louth, Sr. Learning Consultant FT Academy, Franklin Templeton, covers all of that and more. 

Last month’s poll in Knowledge Bureau Report asked  “Do you think that seniors over the age of 75 should continue to get the 10% increase in their Old Age Security benefits which began in July of 2022?”  Overwhelmingly the answer was yes:  89% for it; 11% against.  The comments that accompanied the vote were eye-opening.