Why Succession Planning is Key for Your Business

What is a Family Office?

by BlogEstate PlanningFinancialFinancial PlanningGovernance
Why Succession Planning is Key for Your Business

A family office is a private wealth management company that caters exclusively to ultra-high-net-worth families. These offices are designed to address the unique financial needs and challenges faced by affluent families and provide them with an all-encompassing solution for managing their wealth. The services offered by family offices can range from investment management, tax planning, estate planning, philanthropic planning, family education, multi-generational planning, and lifestyle management services.

Managing the Complexity of Family Wealth

Successfully managing family wealth is a complex endeavour, and each family’s circumstance is unique. It is the responsibility of the family wealth manager to bring professionalism to the private work of growing and safeguarding a family’s assets for the foreseeable future. At the heart of effective family office administration is the expert navigation of several crucial areas. Below are four of these areas that often play a role in managing complex family wealth.

  • Investment Management: This is the cornerstone for accumulating and preserving wealth, which necessitates a customized approach that takes into account the family’s risk tolerance, financial objectives, and core values.
  • Risk Management: A vital component that requires cautious consideration. This typically involves  diversifying investment portfolios, monitoring market trends, and employing advanced risk management techniques. When families proactively protect their assets, they obtain peace of mind, knowing that their wealth is well-protected.
  • Financial Planning: Essential to the administration of a family office, this provides an all-encompassing view of the family’s financial situation. This often involves implementing tax planning strategies that minimize liabilities and maximize wealth preservation, thereby ensuring that financial resources are utilized efficiently to support goals and aspirations.

Estate Planning: This is a critical aspect of the family office that cannot be overlooked. A thorough estate plan that reflects the family’s intentions, minimizes tax implications, and protects the family’s legacy for future generations can be organized with the help of legal professionals.

The Family Office, Governance Structure, and Family Wealth

A governance structure refers to the framework, processes, and mechanisms put in place to effectively manage and oversee the family’s wealth, assets, and related decision-making. It outlines the rules, responsibilities, and procedures that guide how the family’s wealth is controlled, protected, and distributed across generations. It is crucial for the successful management of family wealth and preservation of the family enterprise. 

Family offices play a vital role in establishing and maintaining this governance structure, which often includes a governing board comprising of family members and independent, non-family members. Having a governing board not only ensures the efficient functioning of the family office but also provides a platform for addressing sensitive issues, fostering collaboration, and making informed decisions to the benefit of the family wealth. Moreover, it helps in promoting transparency, accountability, and adherence to the family’s vision and strategy.

Family Office Services: Beyond Wealth Management

Finally, family offices offer a myriad of services that go beyond traditional wealth management. These services are carefully tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each family. Being able to cater to the unique aspects of ultra-high-net-worth families is critical to ensure the larger vision and transfer of the family legacy succeeds. Family office services often include, but are not limited to:

  • Investment Strategy and Management: Formulating and implementing a customized investment strategy that aligns with the family’s risk tolerance, goals, and values.
  • Tax Planning: Providing guidance and strategies to minimize tax liabilities and optimize wealth preservation.
  • Estate Planning: Ensuring smooth and tax-efficient transfer of wealth to future generations while preserving the family’s legacy.
  • Philanthropic Planning: Assisting families in identifying and fulfilling their philanthropic objectives by establishing foundations, endowments, or other charitable vehicles.
  • Family Education & Multi-Generational Planning: Preparing the rising generation for wealth stewardship along with fostering a sense of responsibility and shared values across generations.
  • Lifestyle Management Services: Catering to various non-financial aspects of a family’s life, such as private schooling, travel arrangements, household management, and security.

Entrusting your family’s wealth, vision, and legacy requires a family office that values integrity and trust. A family office committed to building a relationship with you and your family over time is how you will achieve confidence in your and your family’s future.

Listen to our Legacy Builders Podcast

Beacon Family Office at Assante Financial Management Ltd. has a reputation for its unwavering commitment to ethical practices, client satisfaction, and dedication to building relationships through transparent conversations. Connect with Beacon Family Office today for a conversation and discover the peace of mind that comes from connecting with a trusted advisor.

The Basics of a Family Trust

The Power of Integration: Achieving Family Harmony and Prosperity through an Integrated Wealth Framework

by BlogFamily DynamicsFinancial PlanningGovernance
The Basics of a Family Trust

An integrated approach to family wealth management recognizes the importance of a comprehensive family vision as a guiding compass. This approach goes beyond the common short-term financial goal focus. Rather, it involves in-depth discovery to define core beliefs, values, and aspirations that align with the family’s governance structure. By integrating the vision into the governance framework, financial strategies can be developed to support broader life objectives while ensuring the preservation of your family’s wealth and values.

Within this integrated approach, involving all family stakeholders in the visioning process becomes even more critical. By actively engaging family members in discussions and decision-making, a sense of unity, open communication, and shared responsibility is fostered. A comprehensive family vision tailored for the governance structure becomes an integral part of the legacy-building process. Documenting and passing down the vision ensure continuity and purpose, enabling future generations to carry forward the family’s legacy with confidence and clarity. By building the vision directly into the family governance structure, it acts as a guiding principle for decision-making processes, ensuring that financial decisions are aligned with the family’s long-term goals and values.

Developing a Strong Governance Foundation

The need for a holistic approach to family wealth management becomes increasingly important for families seeking comprehensive financial solutions across multiple generations. In order to put the family’s ideals into motion, a clear governance framework is essential. This framework includes elements such as family constitutions, family offices, and communication protocols. A family constitution outlines the rules, responsibilities, and expectations for family members’ involvement in wealth-related matters. The family office centralizes administrative tasks, financial reporting, and investment management. Communication protocols play a vital role to ensure transparency in order to foster a collaborative environment.

Regular family meetings, structured agendas, and open channels of communication enable discussions on financial matters, knowledge-sharing, and the cultivation of shared responsibility among family members. Families are encouraged to diversify their wealth across different asset classes and investment strategies to mitigate risk, ensure long-term stability, and enhance the overall well-being and happiness of family members. This approach recognizes that wealth is not limited to financial assets alone but encompasses other dimensions of well-being, including physical and mental health, supportive and connected relationships, and personal fulfillment. By considering a holistic perspective, families can create a more resilient and balanced wealth portfolio. It’s in this holistic wealth management that you can identify investment opportunities that align with your family’s values, risk tolerance, and financial goals.

By diversifying your portfolio, your family can protect itself against market volatility and capitalize on growth opportunities in different sectors. By embracing a holistic view of wealth, your family can achieve a harmonious integration of financial success and overall life satisfaction.

The Synergy of Vision and Governance

Pursuing an integrated approach to family wealth management is not a one-time endeavor but an ongoing journey that necessitates continuous evaluation and adaptation. Families committed to long-term financial success understand the importance of regularly reviewing their governance framework, family vision, and wealth management strategies. This iterative process enables them to stay aligned with their evolving goals and aspirations, ensuring that their wealth preservation efforts remain adequate and relevant. 

By consistently evaluating the governance framework, you and your family can assess its effectiveness in facilitating transparent decision-making, fostering collaboration, and preserving your family unity. You can review the family constitution to ensure it reflects family members’ changing dynamics and priorities, making any necessary updates or amendments. Embracing feedback and being receptive to different perspectives strengthens the governance structure, enhancing its ability to adapt to the needs of your family over time. This ongoing approach to meet your evolving needs as individuals and as a family unit is how you will continually build synergy between your long-term vision and the governance structure of your family.

Collaborating with Seasoned Advisors to Leverage Expertise

Adaptation is a fundamental aspect of an integrated approach to family wealth management. As external factors, such as economic conditions and market trends, evolve, it is crucial to reassess and adjust wealth management strategies accordingly. Professional advisors play a significant role in this process, providing guidance on investment strategies, risk management, and tax planning.

To implement an integrated approach to your family’s wealth successfully, engaging experienced professional advisors is key. They play a multifaceted role in the development and execution of a robust governance structure. Their insights and guidance are instrumental in creating and maintaining a family constitution that establishes clear rules, responsibilities, and expectations for family members’ involvement in wealth-related matters. They also act as an objective party whose interest is in the family’s preservation, protection, growth, and ultimate transition rather than any one individual. They are able to keep their eye on your bigger picture and vision.

Additionally, professional advisors assist in the establishment and management of a family office, a central hub that streamlines administrative tasks, financial reporting, and investment management. Through their experience in structuring and organizing family offices, advisors ensure that these entities align with the family’s goals and objectives, providing efficient and transparent management of wealth. They offer guidance on selecting appropriate technology platforms, recruiting and training staff, and establishing robust internal controls to safeguard the family’s assets and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Listen to our Legacy Builders Podcast

Managing your family wealth is not a siloed activity, but one that requires deeper understanding of all areas that influence your wealth. Taking an integrated approach allows you to connect with experts who understand how everything works together, allowing you to focus on maintaining healthy family relationships while navigating the best way to achieve your vision. Learn how an integrated approach can make a difference in your family's financial wellness. Connect with Beacon Family Office today and take the first step towards weaving the threads of your family wealth.

The New Retirement Age

What Every Family Office Should Know When Building a Charitable Giving Strategy

by BlogFinancial PlanningPhilanthropy
The New Retirement Age

When developing a charitable giving strategy, there is a lot to consider as a family office. These factors nurture cohesion, motivates strategic decision-making, and maximizes the impact of their charitable contributions. By carefully considering the following, family offices can adjust to sudden changes in their strategies, stay relevant in their giving, and continue to have the desired impact they’re striving towards.

The Significance of a Shared Family Purpose

To create an effective philanthropic strategy, it is essential to understand the family’s shared motivation for charitable giving. By aligning efforts with your shared value, along with your individual, aspirations, and objectives, the family office can develop a purpose-driven strategy that creates positive change and leaves a lasting legacy.

Having a shared purpose enables your family to develop initiatives that resonate with family members, thereby encouraging more active engagement and participation in philanthropic efforts. This unity strengthens your family ties while magnifying the impact of your strategic giving. Moreover, this shared purpose functions as a compass for strategic decision-making, allowing for greater prioritization of individual causes, selection of appropriate organizations, and achievement of desired outcomes that are consistent with the overarching vision. By remaining loyal to your mission behind the purpose, the family office ensures the continuation of the philanthropic focus throughout the generations. Last but not least, having a shared purpose maximizes the overall effectiveness of the contributions by directing resources toward initiatives that closely align with it, thereby bringing about significant change in the causes and communities you support.

Aligning Charitable Giving with Millennials and Gen Z Family Members

Engaging millennials and Generation Z in your philanthropic strategy is essential for family offices. By aligning these younger generations’ areas of interest, such as civil rights, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), immigration, education, health care, and climate change, with the deeper core values of the family, family offices can foster more meaningful engagement and ensure a lasting commitment. Connecting their passions to the family’s fundamental values goes beyond connecting them to the family’s philanthropic values. It connects your legacy to important causes as the world evolves, making your value of giving back have a longer-term impact because it’s relevant.

By aligning their areas of focus with fundamental family values, family offices facilitate intergenerational collaboration, encourage shared decision-making, and strengthen family ties. This inclusion ensures a sustainable commitment by demonstrating the family’s willingness to adapt and evolve while furthering the impact of their charitable contributions by leveraging the unique perspectives, innovative ideas, and passion of your rising generations.

The Future and Your Family Office Charitable Giving Strategy

The development of a family office’s charitable giving strategy is reliant on the ability to envision the future. Family offices should review their philanthropic strategy yearly to account for potential cultural shifts, and legislative updates to ensure it remains relevant. 

This forward-thinking approach enables you to navigate rapidly evolving landscapes, proactively address emerging needs, and develop a strategic giving plan that produces positive lasting change.

By visualizing the future, you will remain flexible enough as it anticipates legal and regulatory changes, which allows you to modify your strategies in order to comply with evolving requirements for family office philanthropic efforts. Looking towards the future also enables your family offices to anticipate emerging trends, thereby positioning you as proactive agents of change, contributing to the formation of a better tomorrow through your legacy. Future family offices can leave a philanthropic legacy that has a lasting impact on future generations.

The Advisor's Role in Supporting Family Philanthropy: Navigating Generational Conversations and Embracing Evolving Strategies

When it comes to philanthropy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Your family offices should instead base its approach on the family’s purpose, mission, and interests, with a commitment to reevaluate and adjust as the future transpires. One of the key advantages of engaging an advisor in your family’s philanthropic journey is their unbiased opinion. An experienced advisor brings an external perspective, free from personal biases or emotional attachments, which can often cloud important decision-making. By maintaining objectivity, advisors can ensure that the family’s philanthropic endeavors align with their core values and long-term objectives. The role of an advisor becomes especially crucial in navigating the complex dynamics that emerge within families when it comes to philanthropy. Over time, as the family evolves and generations transition, different perspectives and priorities may arise. An advisor acts as a mediator, facilitating open and constructive conversations among family members. They help bridge the gap between generations by encouraging active participation from all family members, building a sense of shared ownership and mutual respect. By promoting inclusive discussions, advisors create an environment where family members can express their viewpoints, learn from one another, and collectively shape the family’s philanthropic strategies. Their guidance ensures that the evolving needs and aspirations of each family member are considered, to encourage unity and a shared sense of purpose.

Advisors stay well-informed of emerging trends, innovative approaches, and best practices in the philanthropic sector. By continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the family’s philanthropic initiatives, advisors help identify opportunities for growth, improvement, and adaptation. They guide families in embracing evolving strategies, ensuring their philanthropy remains impactful and aligned with the changing needs of society. Furthermore, advisors act as a resource, connecting families to networks of like-minded individuals, organizations, and experts in the philanthropic realm, expanding their knowledge and enabling collaboration for greater social change.

Listen to our Legacy Builders Podcast

Just as your family office evolves over time, so should your philanthropic strategy. To ensure your values of philanthropy will be carried on with the rising generations, allow them to contribute to the conversation, advising on causes that align with your larger philanthropic strategy. If you are looking to review your current strategy and goals, book a call with Beacon Family Office for an initial review conversation.

Senior man with beard sitting on chair with clipboard and talking to the young people during lesson

Strong Mental Grit: A Key to Successful Wealth Management

by BlogFinancial Planning

Mental grit is something all generational family offices have. This is the ability to passionately persevere in the face of challenges in order to reach your long-term goals. This grit allows you to retain a balanced perspective, make thoughtful decisions, and maintain focus on long-term objectives; a critical component of any effective wealth management strategy. Beyond supporting you as you thoughtfully manage finances, it promotes your personal development, emotional stability, and overall contentment with life. In the world of wealth management, it’s crucial to proactively develop ideas, resources, and practices that can build and enhance your resilience so you can thrive in the face of adversity and achieve financial success over the years.

Understanding Resilience: Bouncing Back Stronger

Mental grit comes down to our resilience. Resilience is the remarkable ability to emotionally recover from personal or professional setbacks. It plays a pivotal role in navigating the inevitable ups and downs that come with preserving, protecting, growing, and transitioning wealth. Families pursuing complete family wealth management must understand that wealth is not just about financial assets. Rather, it is defined by how emotional, intellectual, and social capital are all interconnected. Therefore, the importance of mental fortitude cannot be overlooked when it comes to designing a strategy. It is not just about weathering the storm but emerging stronger and wiser in all areas of wealth. In reality, resilience often serves as the first step towards building a solid foundation for complete family wealth as you proactively account for the ups and downs that come with navigating an integrated wealth management solution.

Developing Market Resiliency: Thriving Despite Adversity

One area in particular that family stewards must account for are bear markets. Bear markets – markets where prices are falling – can be unnerving, causing anxiety and stress for even the most seasoned investors. However, by proactively building resilience, you can better manage the impact of such downturns. The best way to ride the wave and stay focused on your long-term sales so you do not make any rash decisions is by maintaining your overall well-being. Prioritize healthy habits, such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, meditation, and stress management techniques. These practices will not only contribute to your mental and physical well-being but also fortify your ability to withstand any financial shocks that may happen.

Included in this health prioritization is to continue fostering meaningful social connections. Reach out to your support network, whether it’s family, friends, or trusted advisors, such as your wealth advisor. Sharing your concerns, seeking advice, and engaging in open dialogues can create a robust support system for you and your loved ones while giving you greater insight into what is in your control and what is not. This helps you to release anxiety about those things you can’t control, such as the value of a stock or other investment. By modeling resilience and the tools you use to build yours, you are encouraging your family to build their own practices,  paving the way for collective strength in your family unit.

The Importance of Resilience in Wealth Management

Wealth management, as a journey, is filled with both triumphs and challenges. Markets fluctuate, economies evolve, and unexpected events occur. These circumstances can often test one’s emotional fortitude. Here, resilience becomes a powerful tool, enabling individuals and families to stay focused, composed and remain on track during turbulent times. It is the bridge that connects the dots between short-term setbacks and long-term success.

Resilience is not merely a trait that you have or not; it is a skill that can be developed and honed. It is crucial to recognize the pivotal role it plays in navigating the complexities of wealth. By embracing a positive and inspiring mindset, and prioritizing mental well-being, you are setting the stage for enduring success across all aspects of life.

Listen to our Legacy Builders Podcast

Remember, resiliency is not about simply bouncing back; it is about bouncing forward, emerging stronger, and thriving in the face of adversity. This mental grit plays a crucial role in successfully achieving your wealth goals. In building a resilience practice that works for you, and encouraging your family to do the same through open dialogue, you are laying the foundation for generations to come. To learn more about the best practices in cultivating mental resilience so you can continue to pave the path to a prosperous and fulfilling future, connect with Beacon Family Office.

How Being Prepared for Life Changes can Safeguard Your Business

How Being Prepared for Life Changes can Safeguard Your Business

by BusinessFinancial PlanningInheritanceLife Changes

Is your business prepared in the case of a major life change to one of the owners or primary shareholders? There are many things that can happen that can lead to disaster if a plan is not already in place, such as an owner becoming disabled or passing away, a divorce that causes shares to be split, a major shareholder deciding to pursue a new opportunity, or disputes among heirs of a deceased shareholder. To avoid significant business disruptions, it’s essential to have a succession plan. Here we’ll explore how being prepared for life changes can safeguard your business.

Protects Your Loved Ones

Significant life changes can happen to you or a business partner at any time and at any age. No matter how much you plan, it’s hard to know what might happen in the future. Having a succession plan in place will help protect you and your loved ones in case you are unable to control or tend to your business. With this in place, you won’t have to worry who will take over your business since it will be fully detailed in your plan.

Avoids Disaster

With a succession plan in place, big setbacks can be avoided or mitigated, and your business can continue to operate smoothly if you or a main shareholder exits suddenly. For instance, the passwords, IT information, data, and client lists, and financial records will fall into the right hands to prevent business disruptions. Your plan will also include the development and training of a new owner or key shareholder, and help to transition them into the role.

Ensures the Right People Inherit Your Business

Your business is your life’s work — you want to ensure that it gets passed on to the right people. Working to develop a thorough succession plan ensures that your business falls into the right hands and addresses any inheritance issues that could arise.

Minimizes Tax Implications

Succession planning can also help you to avoid tax issues down the road. An estate plan can help you to avoid substantial tax implications and any potential probate delays when transferring the ownership of your business in the future.

Establishes an Exit Strategy

Every business owner should have an exit strategy in place. A business success plan helps you to create an exit strategy that is on your terms.
If you own a business, it’s important to be prepared for life changes to safeguard your business. A well planned out estate and succession plan will help you make fundamental decisions about identifying and developing new leaders, maximizing company value, tax strategy, and ensuring that the business, the clients, and your family are protected.

How to Be the Best Grandparent You Can Be Using Through Wealth Planning

How to Be the Best Grandparent You Can Be Through Wealth Planning

by Financial Planning

As a grandparent, it’s entirely natural to want to give money and gifts to your grandkids. Is this the best way to help them out financially? Here are three ways to be the best grandparent you can be by setting up a financial security net for your grandkids.

Set Up Life Insurance

Your grandchildren can benefit when you have a life insurance plan in place that names them as a beneficiary. Upon your passing, the death benefit paid from a life insurance policy is a tax-free, lump sum amount. However, if the recipient is under legal age, the death benefit (plus the interest it earns) will be held in trust by the province until they reach legal age. That is unless you set up a trust or designate a trustee or administrator to hold the proceeds of the death benefit in trust on behalf of the minor.

Fund Accounts

Contrary to popular belief, trust funds are not just for the elite; they are for everyone. If you want to start a trust fund, there are also a number of different accounts you can set up to distribute funds to your grandkids. A custodial account, for instance, gives you control over the account until your grandchild turns the legal age.

Get Your Grandchild an RESP

If you want to give your grandchild a gift that will benefit them the most, an RESP is the right choice. The gift of education is always a wise one, especially when schooling is rising in cost. Best of all, this is a tax-sheltered program that allows you to make non-deductible contributions annually or in a lump sum up to a total maximum value of $50,000 per beneficiary. When withdrawn, the funds are then paid out as an Educational Assistance payment. If your grandchild decides not to go to school, the contributions are paid back to you tax-free.

If you take advantage of an RESP, the Federal government will also contribute money into it as a grant or bond, such as the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG). Your grandchild will qualify for the CESG until the end of the year when they turn 17. Each year, the government will match your contribution by 20% up to a maximum of $500 per child, to a lifetime limit of $7200. Therefore, the more you add each year, the better!

Trusts

Don’t forget to make sure you have enough for yourself! You don’t want to financially support your grandkids to the point that you run out of money for your retirement. If you’re considering leaving something for them, be sure to talk to a financial advisor who can help you carefully plan out your retirement plan and estate.

Remember — the greatest gift you can give to your grandkids is your love, support, and memories that will last with them for a lifetime.

5 Components of Family Trusts You Need to Know About

5 Components of Family Trusts You Need to Know About

by Financial Planning

Considering setting up a family trust to protect your assets? It may be one of the wisest decisions you ever make. A trust can give you the power to deal with future financial risks and give you full control of your assets. Additionally, a family trust can also be used to take advantage of income splitting and corporate structuring opportunities. Let us show you the five components of family trusts you need to know about to gain the most benefits.

Trusts Require Three People

In order to create a family trust, you’ll need to have three people to fill the roles of Settlor, Trustee, and Beneficiary. The trustees will control the family trust assets, the beneficiaries will reap the benefits from the assets, and a settlor will set up the trust.

Trusts Don’t Need to Be Registered

Unlike other instruments, a family trust does not need to be registered anywhere. Instead, they are created by written deeds or trusts that are valid as soon as they are signed. This provides some privacy because it is not made public upon your death. A will, on the other hand, is on record and will make all your transactions and distributions visible to the public.

Trusts Allow You to Divide Assets as You Please

If you have shares in a company that you would like to leave to your children, a trust can give you the control you desire over how the assets are divided amongst your kin. For instance, with a discretionary trust, the trustees have the power to decide which beneficiaries are entitled to receive the capital of the trust and which are only entitled to receive the income earned on the trust.

Trusts Offer Potential Tax Benefits

Although trusts are taxed at the highest federal rates, plus a provincial rate, there are some potential income tax benefits of having a family trust as part of your corporate structure. They are particularly useful when you wish to take advantage of the tax splitting. Any income, capital gains, or dividends earned by the family trust can be allocated to one of the beneficiaries at their respective marginal tax rate. If you have adult children or a spouse who is in a lower tax bracket than the trust, you can income split to save thousands of dollars each year. Trusts can also be used to multiply your eligible capital gains exemption if you decide to sell your business.

Trusts are Useful When You Own a Business

Every person gets a one-time Capital Gains Exemption (CGE) in their lifetime to shelter up to $813,600 of capital gains. This relates to the sale of Qualified Small Business Corporation shares in an active business owned in majority by Canadians. By allocating the family trust as a shareholder in your business, the capital gains related to the shares owned could be allocated to the beneficiaries if the shares were sold. Each beneficiary in return could use their CGE and shelter the capital gains from taxation.

When you’re ready to create a wealth strategy to protect your assets and ensure your family is taken care of in the future, contact us at The Beacon Group of Assante Financial Management Ltd. We’ll set you up with one of our financial advisors to provide you with all the information you need and to outline the applicable rules for each province. We’re here to help you keep more of your money and grow your wealth well into the future.

5 Things to Teach Your Kids About Taxes Early

5 Things to Teach Your Kids About Taxes Early

by FinancialFinancial Planning

There will come a time when your kids ask you how babies are made, why the sky is blue, and why they have to come home by curfew. One thing your kids probably won’t ask is about taxes — or at least not until it’s too late. It’s important to teach your kids about taxes early so they can be well prepared to file their returns and to create an efficient tax strategy. Not sure where to begin? Start with these 5 things every child should know about taxes.

Where Taxes Go

Taxes are a strange topic for children to understand because they can’t see where the money goes.  All they see is how much money is being deducted on their sales receipts or pay stubs, so they often struggle to understand the purpose of taxation. To best explain it, discuss the places and services where taxes are used for, such as for maintenance and upkeep of local parks, playgrounds, hospitals, roads, bridges, and schools. This will help them understand why taxes are essential and what they are used for without getting too technical.

The Different Types of Taxes

Children also struggle to grasp the different types of taxes that need to be paid. To help them become more familiar with the tax process, we recommend providing examples of all the various types of Canadian taxes, like the federal, provincial, and municipal government taxes on your income statement, the sales tax on a receipt, property tax on your assessment, and the tax to move goods across the border if you’ve ordered anything overseas. That way they can see exactly how tax is deducted and get a better sense of what to expect as they grow older and need to manage their taxes on their own.

The Impact on Earnings

It’s also a good idea to teach your kids about how taxes will impact their take-home pay before they receive their first pay stub. This will help prevent them from being caught off guard once they get their first paycheque and notice that it’s less than their hourly rate. Also, show them how to calculate all the deductions, so they know how to inspect their pay stubs in case of accounting errors.

All About Refunds, Payments, and Returns

When you’re working on filing taxes for your teenager, it’s also a great time to teach them about the process. Show your kids how to fill out the income tax return by using their paycheques and income report so they can get a clear view into the filing requirements. In addition, explain what happens if they underpay/overpay and what kind of tax breaks/penalties they could encounter.

Explaining taxes to your child is the easy part. Understanding all the tax implications when your child is a dependent, or when the Kiddie Tax applies, and what family tax breaks are available, can often be very confusing. Fortunately, with smart tax planning and a tax optimization strategy, you can increase your personal wealth and keep more money in your pocket. When you’re ready to improve your tax management strategy, contact us at The Beacon Group of Assante Financial Management Ltd. We know the ins and outs and how they can be applied to minimize the effects of taxation for you and your family.

What to Teach Your 18-Year old About Opening a TFSA

What to Teach Your 18-Year old About Opening a TFSA

by FinancialFinancial PlanningInvestment Planning

It’s not easy getting your teen interested in the idea of investing in their future. Most teens have a shorter attention span and are rarely focused on long-term goals — they’re thinking about the present. This can make it somewhat difficult to explain the benefits of saving, especially if most of the financial terms go straight over their head.

If your teen has turned 18, it’s time to start teaching them about TFSAs. 18 is the age when Canadians can begin opening and using TFSAs, and with compounding interest, it’s wise for them to start early and do just that.

With the right words and some guidance, you can help them grow a future nest egg as they ease into adulthood. But where to begin? Here are five things you can teach your 18-year old today about opening a TFSA.

The Art of Compounding

If you start early, the power of compounding can add up to millions of dollars over the long-term. If that won’t get your teen’s attention, nothing will. Once they are interested in what you have to say, that’s when you shock them with the long-term benefits of a TFSA. The best way to make them understand is to show them a real-life example of how much money they can expect to earn in 20, 30, 40, and even 50 years when they start making small contributions each month, starting now. When they see the power of compounding in action, it’s sure to get them excited about forming a long-term strategy that invests heavily in their future.

The Benefit of Tax Savings

It’s unlikely that your teen knows much about taxes or how they will impact their savings over time (and if they do, great for them!). That’s why now is the best time to teach them about tax-sheltered instruments, like a TFSA. They may not fully understand all the tax jargon in relation to capital gains, interest earned, or Canadian dividends. Hone in on the fact that with a TFSA, they can withdraw their money tax-free — unlike the majority of banking accounts. They’ll appreciate the idea of avoiding fees and having more money in their pockets.

How to Maximize Contributions Without Penalties

Accidentally contributing more than $5500 a year may result in penalties. It’s essential to teach your 18-year old about the maximum contributions and how they can add to their account without acquiring fees. For instance, if they were to contribute the full $5500 in one year, they could have to wait a full calendar year before putting more money into the account. Your teen can contribute to their TFSA for every year that they have been at least 18 since 2009, as illustrated here. An example of this would be if you have a son who turned 18 in 2016 and is just opening a TFSA now, he would actually be eligible to contribute $16,500 right away.

How to Be Smart With Their Money

Unlike an RRSP, money can be withdrawn from TFSA at any time without paying taxes. This could be a concern if you invest in your teen’s savings account and they withdraw the money straight away. That’s why it’s important to teach them how to be smart with their money, why a long-term goal is better than short-term gains, and that a TFSA is an investment tool more than a savings account.  You may even consider teaching them how to use their TFSA to purchase mutual funds, GICs, and other investment accounts to help grow their money, not just save it. The more they know now, the better choices they will make in the future.

If you’re not sure how to discuss TFSAs with your teen, we can help. At The Beacon Group of Assante Financial Management Ltd., we manage not only our client’s wealth plans but also their children’s investments too. We can teach them the benefits of long-term objectives and what the right choices are for investments with a particular goal in mind. To learn more about our family wealth planning, contact us today.

5 Common Investing Mistakes

5 Common Investing Mistakes

by FinancialFinancial PlanningInvestment Planning

Protecting your wealth is arguably more important than growing it. Even if you make smart investment decisions, pay yourself first, and put some money away for your retirement, there are still a number of common investing mistakes that could drain your finances dry. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on poor financial decisions — be prepared for success by avoiding these common investing mistakes.

Not Funding a Retirement Plan

As a Canadian, you have access to a number of retirement plan options, whether through your employer or through the bank. One of the biggest mistakes many people make is not setting up a plan in advance and adding the maximum amount to it every year. Why is this important? Because most retirement plans are tax-sheltered, so you can protect your money until after you retire and your tax rate declines. Besides the tax advantages, you might also be eligible for a match program with your employer. Some will match your contributions which is essentially free money (that will steadily grow over time).

Forgetting to Rebalance

One mistake most investors make is forgetting to rebalance their portfolio back to its target asset allocation annually. Without a routine check-up and rebalance, your asset classes could end up overweight or underweight, neither of which is a good thing for your performance. If this sounds familiar, contact a financial advisor to help get the proper allocation to increase your overall expected return.

Doing it All Yourself

Unless you have industry experience in trade and finance, it’s best to get a helping hand from a seasoned professional. An experienced financial advisor can help you understand all the relevant risks to you and your portfolio, including what the appropriate benchmarks are, which asset allocation will achieve your goals, and how to diversify for steady long-term gains.

Not Planning for the Long Term

Short selling and day trading can make you a lot of money, but it can also gut out your entire savings if the market takes an unexpected swing. Instead of chasing performance and focusing on short-term gains, you should create a long-term plan and stick to it. Having a sound investment plan is not as much fun as playing the market, but it’s much more profitable in the long run.

Not Creating an Investment Strategy

Investing is not just about growing your assets, it’s also about using cost-efficient structures and tax planning to keep more of your money. Without an investment strategy, you could essentially be missing out on much of your opportunity for growth. Therefore, successful investors are ones that ensure they operate under a prudent investment strategy — the best plans are not only ones that offer significant growth opportunities but also help to shelter against taxes and minimize risk along the way. Always remember that each individual will need a strategy that fits within their goals — no approach will work for every investor.

When you’re ready to move forward with an investment strategy that’s tailored to your specific needs, contact us at The Beacon Group of Assante Financial Management Ltd. We’ll create a plan and implement strategies by choosing the best-in-class products and services that will excel through the market’s ups and downs, creating long-lasting wealth for you.