Canadian Dental Care Plan Renewal Deadline Approaches

Know Your Client!   It’s a daily commitment and requirement, especially in the work that financial advisors do with their clients.   It’s imperative that you ask about any significant changes in their lives. Has there been a significant new event:   a move to take a new job or go to university, a marriage or divorce, a new birth, a disability or a death? And, in the case of income tested benefits such as the Canadian Dental Care Plan, (CDCP) do they qualify?  Did they file their tax return on time to get it?  Do you know the deadlines for doing so?  Do you know when coverage ends if your client now longer qualifies?

“Taxes should not wag the investment dog,” says Michelle Connolly. Nor, she adds, should investment decisions ignore potential tax consequences.

Canada’s ranking in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index has slipped, to 21 in 2012 from 18 in 2011.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has had enough of gifting tax shelter schemes and is taking action.

If early retirement — enforced or chosen — is in the cards, take advantage of employer-provided pre-retirement counseling. This tax-free benefit can save you money.

If you are disputing a re-assessment of your income tax filing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), failing to choose the appropriate appeal procedure can prove very costly.

Look for slower growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013 before it picks up again in 2014, say private-sector forecasters.