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Financial Planning

How to use income splitting to reduce your tax bill

how to use income splitting to reduce your tax bill working at desk

Last updated: Jun. 5, 2023 
What is income splitting? Income splitting is the strategy of redistributing income within a family—usually from a spouse in a higher tax bracket to a spouse in a lower tax bracket—to reduce a family’s overall tax bill. In general, income splitting works best when one spouse earns significantly more income than … Read more

What is a Shareholder Loan?

shareholder loan blog fbc

Last updated: May. 3, 2023 
As Canadian interest rates continue to soar, the idea of taking out a loan from your corporation at no or low interest may be increasingly appealing. But, before you start using a shareholder loan account, it’s important that you understand the associated tax impact and implications. While shareholder loans may initially … Read more

What’s CRA’s Position on Family Gifts?

multigenerational family photo

Last updated: May. 3, 2023 
Large gifts of money and property will get CRA’s attention. Follow these tips to limit the tax burden for giver and receiver. Gifts of property among family members are common and can be very welcome for the recipient and satisfying for the giver. Although Canada has no gift tax, in some … Read more

Why farm succession planning is so important

Last updated: Apr. 18, 2023 
According to Statistics Canada, the value of equity in Canada’s farm sector totaled $627.6 billion at the end of 2021. In the same year, the value of total assets rose by 9.5% to $749.8 billion The only growing age group in the farm population was operators aged 55 and over. The average age … Read more

How to find the industry code for your tax return

Last updated: Feb. 28, 2023 
If you’re self-employed, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) needs you to take an extra step when it comes to filling out your business income tax return. In addition to declaring your income and completing the T2125 (which is used to report your business and professional income and expenses), you also need … Read more

What is the TFSA Limit for 2023?

TFSA Limit 2023

Last updated: Nov. 24, 2022 
It’s official. The federal government has increased the 2023 Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution limit to $6,500. This is up from the 2022 annual TFSA contribution limit of $6,000 and represents the first TFSA limit increase since 2019. It also means that starting on January 1, 2023, eligible Canadians will … Read more

Transition Planning for Farmers: Multi-year Planning Case Study

Multi-year planning case study

Last updated: Apr. 27, 2022 
This case-study is a follow-up to the Transition Planning for Farmers: Multi-year Planning article. Little by little, one farm successfully changes hands It’s not often you hear someone describe their farm transition as “flawless,” but that’s just how Denis Boucher labeled the experience. For as long as Denis can remember he … Read more

Transition Planning for Farmers: Multi-year Planning

Multi-year planning

Last updated: Apr. 27, 2022 
Part 4: Transitions should not occur over night Most transition plans last multiple years and often require substantial amounts of planning, conversations, thinking, restructuring and focus. Often the transition begins long before it truly begins with informal conversations in the barn or on a drive into town. Other times the transition … Read more

Transition Planning for Farmers: Diversified Operations Case Study

Diversified Operations Case Study

Last updated: Apr. 21, 2022 
This case-study is a follow-up to the Transition Planning for Farmers: Diversified Operations article. From crops to biogas, how and why one farm made a drastic transformation post-transition. Gerald and Birthe Perry had always planned to retire at 60 and put the farm in the hands of their two sons, Chris … Read more