“Hey Arnold, can I get you to cash out another $15,000 for me?” “Of course,” I replied. “But Jane, forgive me, I just have to ask. This is the third time in three months that you asked to withdraw a large sum. Now, obviously, it’s your money and you can do with it as you like, but at this rate you are burning through it fairly quickly. Can I ask what’s going on? I know you … [Read more...] about Trust issues: Do you have a trusted contact person?
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.
Charitable gifts: Tax credits and how they work
Some time ago, I had a conversation with a regular charitable donor that went something like this: “What a rip off! It’s not like it used to be. The government only gives a 29% tax credit for my charitable donation. I get way more than that for an RRSP contribution. I used to get a deduction for the full amount of my charitable contributions, just like my RRSPs.” “You’re … [Read more...] about Charitable gifts: Tax credits and how they work
War in Ukraine impacted stock markets
We watched the news with shock and horror as Vladimir Putin waged war on Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents and displacing millions more. The cost to the Ukrainian people is massive. We cannot express deep enough sympathies to them, their families and friends, and all the other victims of war. While it seems almost petty to even bring it up, Putin’s actions have … [Read more...] about War in Ukraine impacted stock markets
The building blocks of financial success
“What are the core principles we want to teach our children about money?” This was one of the many questions my wife and I had when our children were young. After much thought, we landed on the building blocks of financial success in these four principles: • Generosity – giving back • Saving – setting funds aside for the future • Freedom – spending … [Read more...] about The building blocks of financial success
Happy Valentine’s Day, honey – RRSP deadline coming is up
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and so is the deadline for Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions. What could be better than the gift of a spousal RRSP contribution? OK. Maybe I’m saying that a bit tongue-in-cheek. A spousal RRSP may not be the sexiest gift you can give your valentine, but it’s still a great thing to consider. You know how an RRSP works, but … [Read more...] about Happy Valentine’s Day, honey – RRSP deadline coming is up