Avoiding probate is a topic that regularly comes up in conversations here in my office. Unfortunately, all too often the tail (probate fees) is wagging the dog (estate planning). Proper estate planning takes the cost of probate into consideration and, where it makes sense, proper estate planning will take steps to avoid those costs, but cost savings shouldn’t be the main … [Read more...] about The danger of avoiding probate through the use of joint accounts
Arnold Machel, CFP®
Arnold Machel lives, works and worships in the White Rock/South Surrey area and has been writing articles for the Light Magazine for over 10 years. He is a Certified Financial Planner® with Visionvest Financial Planning & Services.
All that glitters – investing in Gold
Gold holds an unusual and fascinating allure in the investment world. Admittedly, even to me, the thought of gold ingots stored in a safe house just sounds kind of cool. It’s times like these that I start fielding questions such as, “should I have some gold in my portfolio?” At the time of writing, an ounce of gold is priced at $1,499.23. That’s an increase of $313 … [Read more...] about All that glitters – investing in Gold
Tithing on your inheritance
I was recently asked the question: “Should I tithe on an inheritance that I receive?” My first thought (and in hindsight I wish I had verbalized it) was that I was pleased that the person didn’t ask: “Do I have to tithe on my inheritance?” That showed that they were coming at the question with the right heart. In considering my answer, it might help the reader to understand … [Read more...] about Tithing on your inheritance
Hiring a financial planner
Let’s not sugar-coat it. Money is important to all of us, even though many of us don’t necessarily want to admit it. Even the least worldly of us wants a dry bed, a roof over our heads and our daily bread. And that takes money. In today’s world, it’s even more complicated. Navigating through the maze that is comprised of mortgages, insurance, pensions, RRSPs, TFSAs, … [Read more...] about Hiring a financial planner
Protecting yourself from cyber criminals
A couple of months ago, I talked about the signs to watch out for in order to protect your money from financial swindlers. This month, I want to talk about protecting yourself from cyber criminals who commonly use elicit means to defraud or to blackmail individuals. This article has been written in collaboration with my son, Ben Machel. Unlike cyber attacks against … [Read more...] about Protecting yourself from cyber criminals