Posted in RESP

RESP Basics You likely know that a Registered Education Saving Plan (RESP) is intended to save money for your child's education and that the invested money is allowed to grow tax free. When your child is ready to go to a post-secondary institution, you know can withdraw the money to pay for their tuition. Hopefully you also know about the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG), which matches your contribution up to $500 per year up to a maximum of $7,200 in a lifetime.  For low ...

What is an estate plan? An estate plan is simply a checklist that ensures your personal belongings and finances are easy to manage and distribute, exactly how you want them to be, when you die. It also makes sure your estate doesn't pay more tax or legal fees than it needs to and perhaps most importantly, it makes things so much easier for your loved ones. While the word "estate" is often associated with large properties and the wealthy, in this case, it only refers to you...

How To Save For Retirement Saving for retirement isn't easy, especially when we have so many other financial commitments, not to mention trying to save for a home, vehicle, education, vacation or otherwise. When I speak with clients about their financial goals, including retirement, I always get the same question: "How much will I need for retirement?" It's a difficult one to answer since everyone has different goals. We have to consider how long they plan to work, wha...

4 Ways to Maximize Your Canada Child Benefit The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a tax-free monthly payment made by the government of Canada to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under the age of 18. Here are 4 ways to maximize your CCB: 1. Contribute to an RRSP to increase the CCB The amount you receive for the CCB is based on the total family income reported on your annual income tax return for the previous year. Therefore, if you contribute to your RRS...

What Happens to Your RESP When You Die? The first important thing to understand is that the RESP you set up belongs to you (and your joint subscriber, if for example you opened it with your spouse). It does not belong to the person you intend it for (beneficiary), which is usually your own child or grandchild. Secondly, while an RESP can have a named beneficiary, this only means the funds are intended for them when they are eligible to enrol in a post secondary program. It does not mean...