Financial Library

Passing it on to Your Heirs

Posted on December 3, 2009

Ralph and Mary have accumulated a nice estate, a good portion of it in cash. They want to leave it all to their children when they die, but they also want to do something for them today. Being part of the Savings Generation, they are reluctant to give large sums to their kids today, as they are part of the Spending Generation. Ralph and Mary also want to treat their children as fairly as possible.

When someone dies, their estate falls into three basic categories:

Part 1 - Proceeds that can be passed on by way of a named beneficiary designation.

Tags: 
estate planning

Money Saving Mortgage Strategies

Posted on December 2, 2009

Mortgages today are not like they were when our parents or grandparents bought their homes. As most of us don't have the cash to buy a home outright, we need to borrow from a lender. There are a number of strategies you can use to get the best deal, pay it off more quickly and pay off the debt in the event of premature death.

Tags: 
debt management

Raising Financially Literate Teens

Posted on November 4, 2009

Today's teenagers are the richest, most networked generation in history and,as every parent knows, they love to spend money. Their spending is a way to assert their independence, to socialize and to establish their identity behaviours that are embraced and encouraged by advertisers of everything from MP3 players to designer jeans.

Tags: 
financial strategies

Can you spot a Ponzi scheme?

Posted on November 3, 2009

On June 29, 2009, Bernard Lawrence 'Bernie' Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for perpetrating what has been called 'the largest investment fraud in Wall Street history.' Actual losses have been estimated at $64.8 billion by prosecutors. Apparently, Madoff admitted to his sons that his company, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was nothing more than a giant Ponzi scheme.

Tags: 
fraud prevention

The Quick Start RRSP

Posted on November 2, 2009

Maureen, age 20, figures she can save $325 each month; or she can keep frittering it away at the mall. She lives with her parents and they think she should save it. Dad says, 'Put it into an RRSP and get a tax break as well.' Her friends think RRSPs are for old fogies and she doesn't need to start thinking about retirement savings until she's 30.

Tags: 
rrsp

Financial plans and marriage breakdown

Posted on July 2, 2009

Statistics show that about half of marriages end in divorce. Ed and Liz are ending theirs and are concerned about changes that will have to be made to their financial and estate plans. Some considerations, also in common-law relationships, are:

Tags: 
financial strategies
divorce

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