Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:37 PM

It is essential to the planning process to simplify the information you use; the information should be readily understood. Typically when people look at financial data they are overwhelmed by the quantity of data, the interaction of the various elements of that data and the apparent sophistication with which the data is presented.

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2012-10-22: The Weekly Take


October 22th, 2012
A weekly look at finance as seen through the lens of the performance of financial markets and government policy.



Financial planning for your retirement


If you have been following our series on retirement, we have so far shown you how to live to be 100 plus, described the need for a will, power of attorney and looked briefly at various ways of deciding on how much medical care you might want in an emergency; especially if you cannot decide at that moment.

Business Etiquette


In today’s highly competitive world no matter what career you are pursuing or which client you are chasing, raw talent, a good education, work experience and a willingness to put in long hours will no longer guarantee success. You need that something extra that will separate you from the pack and differentiate you from everyone else. That cutting edge difference may be your attitude toward business etiquette. Business etiquette is a soft skill that highlights good manners and social graces. It is something that must be learned and then practiced. Here are ten tips to remember:

The B.C. First-Time New Home Buyers Bonus


Subject to approval by the legislature, the B.C. government intends to implement a temporary BC First-Time New Home Buyers’ Bonus. Effective February 21, 2012, to March 31, 2013, the bonus is a one-time refundable personal income tax credit worth up to $10,000.

THE B.C. FIRST-TIME NEW HOME BUYERS’ BONUS (PDF 136 KB)

Teach Good Money Management Skills to Your Children


Ancient literature tells of three obligations a parent has to their children. These are educating them to conduct themselves, in a mature manner, in everyday relations with others, teaching them a trade as the gateway to independent self-sufficiency and to swim which is deemed to be a metaphor for teaching them the message of contributing to the survival of both themselves and the community in which they live. Current literature would add a fourth obligation, namely the education of our children in financial matters and good money management skills.

Financing Tax Debts


If you have a tax debt that you are concerned about or unable to pay then this page was written for you.

Here are some ways in which the debt can be dealt with:

Should You Make a Charitable Donation Personally or Through Your Corporation?


Harvey Jones is the owner/manager of an incorporated business who received a telephone call one evening from his “friendly” telemarketer. On most nights Harvey, a kind and gentle man, pretends that although he answered the phone, “Mr. Jones” is not “in” at the moment and suggests that the telemarketer call back some other time. In his heart, however, he hopes that the telemarketer will ultimately take his name off the list and never call him again. He vows to himself that he will sign up for the “do not call” list, first thing the next morning.

How to handle your E-mail



Many readers of this newsletter will receive their issues via email. Even if they don’t it is a good guess that they will spend as much as two hours of their working day on the computer attending to this instantaneous mode of communication. Given this fact it is imperative to understand the true cost of e-mail at work.

The Privacy Act



As of January 1, 2004 Canadians who operate a business in Canada must recognize their duty to safeguard the privacy of personal information they collect, use, disclose and retain in the course of their commercial activities. This must be done in a manner that a “reasonable person” would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

Taxpayers' attempts


  • A woman tried to write off toilet paper as a medical expense (Canada);
  • A Vancouver man invented a wife on his personal tax returns for several years (Canada);
  • Tax auditors went to various nightclubs and bars to make sure the exotic dancers were correctly reporting their earnings. The auditors traveled in pairs. It is understood that although the audit was very popular with staff, it was eventually halted because of a lack of results (Canada, United States);