Opportunity: Canadian Dollar Stabilizes, Somewhat

Things have started to turn around for the Canadian dollar in the second quarter of 2025. It hit a 22 year low in January of 2025. Investors and property owners, who have been swooning at the high burn rate in their travel plans and property maintenance abroad, may wish to consider recent more positive trends and consider some risk mitigation opportunities now that the dollar is stabilizing somewhat.  

The federal government announced last week that the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) will be increasing for the second consecutive year as of this July. Unfortunately,  many families are subject to a clawback of the generous benefit when their family net income rises. Worse, many Canadians don’t realize how critical an RRSP contribution can be in generating more of this lucrative tax-free benefit. Tax and financial advisors can add high value by helping to connecting those dots.

If you pay interest on money borrowed to earn investment income, you can claim a deduction for the interest paid as a carrying charge. That’s quite lucrative as the deduction offsets all other income of the year and can help to reduce net income, the figure upon which certain government benefits, like the Canada Child Benefit, are based.  But, the claim is not as straight-forward as you might think.

June 17 is an important date for the self-employed. Not only is it the tax filing deadline (as June 15 falls on a weekend), it’s also an opportunity to decide whether or not to start contributing to the Employment Insurance (EI) program. There are trade-offs that small business owners need to take into consideration, and advisors play an important role in this decision-making process.

Financial planning for critical long-term care and disability has been a complex process for advisors in Canada. But a recent Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decision regarding whether the absolute discretionary trust (Henson trust), which is designed to protect a disabled person’s assets, brings national clarity to the issue of whether or not this estate-planning tool can impact a disabled person’s eligibility for other benefits and credits.

Together with our partner, The Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC), Knowledge Bureau is very pleased to report that our inaugural Vantage Series Event, held on May 9th at the National Club in Toronto, was a resounding success. Read on to find out why, and mark your calendars for the next Vantage event on October 31.

Paula Baker has been working in the tax service industry since 2005. In 2010, she opened her own Liberty Tax franchise, and later pursued her DFA-Tax Services Specialist™ designation with Knowledge Bureau, after selling her franchise to work from home. Even with a wealth of experience she chose to enhance her education, because: “When I first entered the world of taxes I quickly realized that knowledge was important. Taxes are complicated, and Knowledge Bureau allowed me to expand my knowledge which, in turn, allowed me to support and guide my clients in the right direction.  I worked through the courses and now have my designation.”