Tax returns aren’t due for most people until the end of April, but every year around this time we get asked, “Do I have all of my tax slips?” or “Which tax slips should I be expecting?” To answer some of these questions, we’ve put together a handy guide to help with that. Chasing down all the slips needed to file a return is often a huge pain. Fortunately, the Canada Revenue … [Read more...] about What to expect when you are expecting a tax refund
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.
Retirement Saving Plans: should you contribute to an RRSP
Over the past decade or so, the government has introduced a number of new savings vehicles and made enhancements to existing ones. Obviously having more options is a positive thing, but with choice comes decisions and complexity. And indeed, having more options has made the decision of which type of account to use for your retirement savings much more complicated. Something … [Read more...] about Retirement Saving Plans: should you contribute to an RRSP
Get your foot in the door of your brand-new home
by Ben Machel, CFP® For this month’s article we have a special treat – rather than my regular column I’ve brought in a guest writer. My son, Ben, joined the family practice seven years ago, and because the topic of this article is aimed at younger Canadians, I thought it would be best to hear from someone in that demographic. Read on for Ben’s thoughts about the Canadian … [Read more...] about Get your foot in the door of your brand-new home
Preparing for an emergency, the Go-Bag
We’ve all seen it in the movies or on a TV show. Someone gets a call. There’s no time. They need to leave NOW. Their “get-out-of-dodge” bag is already packed. They grab it and go. Are you preparing for an emergency? Could you Grab a Go-bag and be ready to go in minutes? Or even seconds? Sometimes referred to as a GOOD (short for Get Out of Dodge) bag, or more simply … [Read more...] about Preparing for an emergency, the Go-Bag
Emergency Preparedness: Building a Home Emergency Kit
Hopefully you’ve already identified the most likely hazards in your area (from the BC Hazard Map) and created an Emergency Plan (by downloading and completing the fillable PDF). The next step is building a home emergency kit. At the very least, your home emergency kit should consist of: 1. One of your go-bags (more details to come next month) 2. Essential supplies for … [Read more...] about Emergency Preparedness: Building a Home Emergency Kit