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?

Thinking of leaving Canada for extended vacations or visits? You will now need to be more careful about your absences if you want to remain eligible to collect social benefits, like the Canada Child Tax Benefit, Old Age Security or Employment Insurance.  That’s thanks to the Perimeter Security Pact between Canada and the United States, which was initiated back in 2011 and has been undergoing four phases of implementation.

Cybersecurity is an issue all tax and financial advisors may find themselves answering questions about this tax season.

Canadians who work with financial advisors are better off financially than those who do not, and many clients feel that their advisors add more than just financial value, impacting many aspects of their lives. That’s the good news. The bad news? Only 36% of clients said they would stay loyal to their advisor’s business when the advisor retires; in fact, about 50% are prepared to walk when you retire.

The beauty of a Virtual Campus is that you can enrol and study with Knowledge Bureau any time, 24/7. However, our head office staff will be taking a well-deserved family break from noon December 24, returning bright and early on January 4.  We are grateful for their hard work and dedication and thank them sincerely for their passion in serving you – our cherished clients – all year long.

CRA released its personal tax credits return on November 27 with few surprises.

Recently a group of professional organizations, including the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), expressed their concerns about amendments to the Income Tax Act (the Act), which received Royal Assent on December 16, 2014. The provisions, related to subsection 104(13.4), the tax treatment of trusts, come into effect on January 1, 2016. The Department of Finance responded to those concerns in an open letter on November 16, 2015, a summary of which follows.