Being in a position where it is time to look into making investments means a person has to stay alert these days.

A CFP is a good option and there are many advantages to hiring one as soon as possible. Here are some of the biggest advantages.

Defines Financial Goals

goals

Your financial goals are going to be important and it is best to have someone qualified to list them as soon as possible. If there are gaps in the goals that are being set up, you are the one who is going to be on the wrong end of things. A CFP is able to define all of these goals and make sure the right approach is taken with regards to your finances.

Take the time to sit down with the CFP to see what can be done for the future and how it has to be managed step-by-step for real-world results.

Helps With Risk Management

risk-management

Risk management is essential when it comes to maximizing investments and getting more out of them as soon as your funds are leveraged. Until this is done, the results are not going to come in and that is why hiring a CFP is useful. They are professionals with the ability to make things happen.

They will help with risk management and ensure it is done as thoroughly as possible.

Maintain High Professional Conduct

Professional conduct is one of those details people don’t think about when it comes to their investments but it is important to invest with a purpose. Until you are focused in on professional conduct, you are going to be left behind and that is a real hassle for people.

Be smart and make sure you are doing enough in this regard to get real results.

A CFP is able to push things along and do it based on local, state, and federal regulations. This is why they are the best possible option.

business-certified

Certified to Assist

It’s important to note a CFP is going to be the highest possible standard for financial planning. This is one of the main reasons clients prefer the idea of working with someone that has a good track record and is going to be able to offer professional assistance. It is similar to visiting a doctor when you are ill. A CFP is an ideal fit when it comes to understanding and managing your future investments without making mistakes along the way as so many people do.

These are the benefits of a CFP and what they are able to do for you when it comes to maximizing investments. A lot of people put in the time to work on the wrong solutions and that is one of the hassles of dealing with this part of the investing process. However, a smart approach can revolve around understanding what a CFP is able to do and how to make the most of it.

These benefits are going to be the number one reason to bring a CFP on board as soon as possible. The results are going to skyrocket.


Everyone Can Benefit From Financial Planning

Properly managing your finances is how you can meet your goals.

The way that you can do this is through financial planning.

Contrary to popular belief, this is much more than figuring out the ideal investment strategy, building a savings account, or budgeting.

 

planning help

 

Many unexpected things can happen in life and there is no doubt that some of them can bring stress. While you may have thought about some things that could happen, it is common to not be financially prepared for these things. Or, there are things that happen that you may have not considered at all.

As these things happen in life, there is no reason for you to do it on your own, especially as you attempt to manage the financial impact of it all.

Creating a solid financial plan is the key to preparing for expected and unexpected life events.

Don’t worry, you can do it at any time.

Having support from someone you trust can make the difference between being successful and wishing you had made a different choice. Are you ready to get on the path to financial confidence? Let us show you how to stop feeling overwhelmed with your financial situation. Did you know Canadians who take part in financial planning have a healthier financial and emotional well-being? They report to feeling like they are on the proper path to reaching their goals financially and for retirement. They also state they are feel confident in dealing with life’s challenges, are able to save, and enjoy life’s luxuries.

How does that sound to you? Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. If you would like more information or would like to speak to an advisor, wed be happy to send you some of our recommended sources. Visit the contact page and let us know how we can help.

 

Remember, it’s never too late to start planning your financial future.


Here is an example, a businessman within the home-building industry named Frank, has made a home for himself in Ontario. He is 52 years of age and brings home $7,000 every month in order to support his 2 teenage children. He has been placed under financial strains which included a divorce, yet he still maintains a net worth of $2.3 million after deducting loans of around $835,909 which is robust due to the real-estate market that is strong which has pushed his estimated value for his home up to $1.7 million. In his investments he has a $327,000 taxable portfolio, along with a $82,000 TFSA, RRSPs of $831,500 along with $90,000 in RESPs dedicated to his kids are all well managed.

Despite his net worth that is strong and solid assets, there are still problems.

His job and his company are not secure within a highly competitive market. He would also like to increase on his investments for his planned retirement in around 13 years. There is also no company-pension, and this means Frank will only have income from his investments from TFSAs, OAs, CPP and his other accounts.

financial balance scales

This will be the dilemma, and even though he has success in investments and his business, he has decided that he will require a cash flow that is higher by the age of 65. He would also like to use $20,000 every year in order to travel, and even though he is prepared to downsize when it comes to his home, he is still noticing a gap between the present investments, OAS, CPP and their income and the goal that he has to have $100,000 before tax. In addition, his time is running out.

He states that in around 4 years, when he is 56 years of age, his children will have probably left the home. This is when the timetable will shift from caring for the children half the time like he is doing now combined with shared responsibilities, to fully caring for himself and time left to fully focus on the fortune he has already built skillfully through a number of wise investments.

Odds are favorable that his plans will pan out as he is hoping, says Derek Moran who is the Head of Smarter Financial Planning Ltd. based in Kelowna, B.C. He also thinks that Frank is a skilled investor will be able to achieve the required capital in order to generate the 6-figure pre-tax income goal for retirement. It is just about moving from here-to-there. At this stage, Frank is bringing home a $7,000 income after tax every month. He is only spending the take-home salary while allowing dividends and interest to compound.

Asset Management

The return on the invested assets is currently in the mid-single digits, around 5 to 8%. His choices are the chartered banks, while their market performance and payouts are supportive of his returns, Moran mentions. Yet there are still issues. He currently has $498,909 in mortgages with interest’s rates including 2.88% and 2.96%. After tax, these mortgages still cost less in comparison to his after-tax return associated with his investments. He also has a $337,000 line-of-secured-credit that he uses for his investments, so interest costs are $1,000 a month, which happens to be tax-deductible.

The issues associated with asset-management is about risk control. If Frank decided to sell $27,900 of his investments from his existing $327,000 taxable portfolio to pay off one of the residential mortgages. The pure interest costs of that mortgage apart from principle repayments is $130 every month. This may sound like peanuts, but Moran states that given that these stocks were purchased with a loan they have a gain of $35,000 after-tax profits that would be able to cover this loan completely. Another alternative involves riding the markets and to keep growing gains while still paying interest. We will make the assumption that he will continue with carrying these loans accepting risks linked to increasing interest rates that erode away at the net gains.

Education Savings

Frank currently has $90,000 in the family RESP, which is fantastic base for his children who are 16 and 13 years of age. Every month he adds $310, which is under $208 per a child or a $2,500 every year maximum in order to qualify for a full Canada Education Savings Grant of a lesser of $500 or 20% of contributions. Frank at this stage could definitely afford as well as should boost these contributions to at least $516 every month. If he decided to do this, the oldest child with 2 years of more contributions along with bonuses would then have around $50,000 for post-secondary or university education expenses. The younger child who will remain eligible until the age of 17, would then have $66,000 with another 5 years in contributions. In each of these cases, this calculation will assume a 4% annual return which is consistent with the management skills that Frank has demonstrated. He should even progress onto outing these funds that are available in order to give his children $58,000 each which would be more than sufficient for 4 years of books and tuition at any college or university in Ontario.

Retirement Planning

At this stage Frank has $831,500 in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan which he contributes $1,400 every month to or $16,800 every year. On the assumption that the 4% return continues after inflation, the RRSP will have $1,663,840 in assets by the time he turns 65. This sum would definitely support a payout of $106,500 each year over a period of 25 years when all the capital and income would then be expended.

In his Tax-Free Savings Account, with its $82,000 in total assets, which is 44% gains in investment over $57,500 allowable contribution up to this date, if it is supported with $5,500 contributions over another 13 years, till he reaches the age of 65, will then become $228,000 with a growth of 4% after inflation. This sum would be supportive of payouts of $14,600 in 2018 dollars over the next 25 years.

In his $327,000 investment portfolio which is taxable with an assumed after inflation 4% growth and assuming no more contributions which is held for a period of 13 years would reach a value of $619,400 which would support payouts of $39,650 for a period of 25 years until he reaches the age of 90.

By the age of 65, Frank can obtain full Canada Pension Plan benefits, which is currently $13,610 every year along with full Old Age Security benefits amounting to $7,075 at the 2018 rates, but we assume that this will all be somehow clawed back.

When adding up his sources for a post-65 income, Frank will have a annual cash flow that is taxable of $106,500 from the RRSP, $39,650 from the taxable investments, along with $13,610 from the Canada Pension Plan. The total amount of $159,760 which is taxed at 30% after personal credits and pension income plus the $14,600 from his own TFSA would then leave a $10,536 disposable income.

Here’s Some Insights from Polly for 2018

The pre-tax target for retirement income of $100,000 is definitely achievable according to Moran.

This is a case which shows what investing diligently is able to generate. Frank was able to do this even though he has no company pension and a divorce while still supporting his 2 children. It is a positive example of what focused investment and diligent saving is able to achieve.


The father of today’s business management method, Peter Drucker, is credited with observing the two sole functions of businesses – innovation and marketing.

The companies that are excellent examples of embracing innovating include Apple, Amazon, and Tesla.

They earn a great deal of admiration, generate even greater sales and get marketing done in the form of media earned from both.

Businesses of all sizes know that innovation is a huge lever that propels their future success. Still, many fail to do it effectively. They stick to doing what has always been done. Some get on the latest trends when they are pushed to do it to avoid extinction instead of becoming pioneers in their sector. Not a good thing.

Jeff Bezos explains that a big part of the incredible success Amazon has had over time is its people’s commitment to innovation. His 2015 shareholder letter said that the source of the $100-billion-dollar company’s innovation skills lie where their failures are. He went on to say that he believed that Amazon is in the best place to fail because of all the practice it has.

Nothing, he says, is known in advance for inventing things. You must experiment.

Most large organizations embrace the idea of invention but don’t’ want to go through the necessary failures to get there.

planning

Unfortunately, experimenting and failing is the only road to take.

To make a business a place where innovation is normal, it is essential to create an environment that is conducive to chance. It must be open to diversity and opinions. No matter what your history is you can build a company that offers products, services, and experiences that wow your customers constantly. Here is how to do that.

1. Create an experimentation culture.

You will see it in articles, blogs, and books: failure comes before success.

If you can start to accept failure as part of the learning process, it will help you achieve your goals. You will get more comfortable as you move forward with this concept.

You must make failure work for you. Do this by experimenting in small enough ways that you will not be left walking around in a barrel if things do not go well. To create a culture that is ready for innovation, it also has to have a system of continuous feedback. This loop of continuous communication gives you the clues needed to produce remarkable things.

2. Make generating ideas a habit.

Innovation starts with ideas. Quantity will always beat out quality when it comes to improving the odds of coming up with winning ideas for your business. Not every idea will be a keeper, but if you have a huge supply of thoughts to choose from it can be much easier to boil down what your customers really want from you.

As a writer, I have a habit of generating 25 headlines to use potentially for one article. When I push myself to come up with more creative options I generate better ideas. Make it a habit to generate ideas daily at your business. Have your team members provide ideas every day. Create a system that works to catalogue what they offer.

3. Diversify experiences.

Innovation thrives on diversity, not singularity. Steve Jobs understood this. This is why he encouraged his team to take the road less travelled. In 1982, Jobs was quoted as saying that if you are to make innovative connections that you cannot have the same “bag” of experience that others do. He was just 26 when he observed this out loud as he accepted a Golden Plate Award in Washington DC.

You must step outside of the comfort zone. Seek out many new experiences for yourself personally and professionally. Intentionally seek talent. You have to build a team of rock stars that bring diversity, ideas, experiences and new ways of thinking to your company.

With their help, observations and skills, you will build a bigger frame of reference. You will no longer be satisfied with anything status quo. You will want something truly innovative every time.

4. Encourage dissent.

Encourage your team to knock your ideas around. This is the only way to improve on them. A capable team of people with values that you value will provide better criticism and this will ultimately produce a better product than you could have done by yourself.

Data from UC Berkeley back up this principle by demonstrating that conflict improves the process of ideation.

How can a team that agrees to abide by everything you say help your company innovate?

Set up regular team meetings to get input on turning a good idea great. Make your environment one where team members assure each other that their opinions are of value. They will become more comfortable about vocalizing their personal expertise so that the quality of your products and services improve no matter what your business sells.

5. Become obsessed with your customers.

You exist to serve your customers. The more you can provide them with value, the more they reward you with loyalty. Focus your efforts on getting to know them right away. You will get a huge amount of insight into how to solve their problems like no one can.

Whenever you can, talk to your customers. Walk in their shoes, as it were, to develop greater empathy for them.

Look for pain points so that you can start brainstorming ideas with your team to turn those pains into customer satisfaction.

These are our main focus area’s for success in an ever changing e-commerce market place


Investors in Canada may be forgiven for being a bit excited.

Canada’s stock market recently reached a record high, surpassing even a January high before the United States stock market.

However, if you look at the longer-term picture, you will realize that there isn’t a lot to get excited about. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 117 percent since March 9, 2009 financial-crisis low compared to an increase of 309 percent for the S&P 500 Index.

nathan-phillips-square-Toronto

Canada is once more expected to lag in 2018, with strategists projecting a full-year gain of just 5 percent compared to the S&P 500’s 10 percent.

The Canadian index dropped 0.2 percent to 16,392 in Toronto. It is hardly a secret that the stock market in Canada lacks diversification, is exposed too much to cyclical commodity stocks and lacks enough drivers of growth such as healthcare and technology. However, some of the business leaders in the country say that the reasons for the long-term under performance are actually deeper than that: an non-competitive tax policy, too few independent investment dealers, and a lack of risk capital.

It isn’t easy to introduce new companies to market in Canada. In the last 5 years, independent investment dealers (close to 50) have closed shop citing weak commodity markets, higher operating costs, and the consolidation is only likely to accelerate over the next few years, according to Ian Russel, who is the president of the Investment Industry Association of Canada.

It means that companies wishing to go public have fewer options, which pushes them to other funding sources such as venture capital and private equity or even acquisitions by their larger competitors.

Investors have fewer opportunities for diversifying into high-growth but underrepresented sectors such as technology, which is the real standout in U.S, markets.

Last year, there were 14 initial public offerings on the Toronto Stock Exchange worth more than US $75 million and 4 so far this year, which is down from 30 in 2017 when commodities were booming, according to data that Bloomberg compiled.

Dan Daviau, CEO of Canaccord Genuity Group, which is an independent dealer said in an interview earlier in the year that there is a fundamental problem with the lack of partners to help entrepreneurial companies raise funds and help small-cap IPOs happen. Daviau added that he didn’t believe that this is healthy for the capital markets in Canada. He also added that if their company was in the United States, it would have 30 competitors all doing different flavors of what it does.

The listed companies find it harder to raise equity capital to fund growth and acquisitions, which keeps the stock prices depressed, says Russell. According to data from Bloomberg, there have been 7 secondary share offerings in Canada worth a total of US$756 million year-to-date compared to 23 worth US$2.2 billion in 2007.

The banks have stepped in where the investment dealers have shrunk, but they often ignore the smaller companies, according to Russell.

The largest 5 banks in Canada accounted for about two-thirds of equity and equity-linked issuance’s in 2017 compared to less than 50 percent in 2008, according to the data.

canada-map

Take the cannabis sector for example. Canaccord leads equity financing in the industry that the big banks don’t like getting involved with. Now that the industry is properly established and Canada has legalized marijuana for recreational use, the big banks have started elbowing in.

Tom Caldwell, CEO of Urbana Corp. and chairman of Caldwell Financial Ltd is blunter when it comes to the implications of the creeping influence of banks and the shrinking pool of independent dealers in Canada. He says that they have a tendency to absorb, acquire, and obliterate and that he believes it will have a significant impact on economic growth, job creation, and even innovation.

The tax regime in Canada also stunts corporate investment through special subsidies and tax breaks only given to small businesses, which discourages them from growing beyond a particular size, says David Rosenberg, who is the cheap strategist and economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. Last year, Bill Morneau the Finance Minister tried cracking down on the use of private corporations, which is frequently used by owners of small businesses to lower taxes, but he was forced to retreat after facing too much backlash.

Rosenberg says that businesses in Canada stay small because the system rewards small.

To be sure, the growing cannabis sector has led to the creation of a new stable of publicly traded companies that helped the S&P/TSX to reach a record high after the upper house in Canada voted to approve the legalization of recreational marijuana. Canopy Growth Corp. gained 6.7 percent to $45.36, which is a record high that gave it a market value of $9 billion.

Still, Canada has produced some innovative and successful companies such as Shopify Inc. The tech sector, which accounts for about 4 percent of the Canadian benchmark is actually leading its peers by a long shot, up 31 percent year-to-date.

Canada is ranked at number 5 out of 54 countries for perceived opportunities for entrepreneurs in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, but it has not been successful in transforming that innovation into commercial success, according to Jos Schmitt, the CEO of Aequitas Innovations Inc. that runs a stock exchange based in Toronto.

According to Schmitt, the blame lies squarely on the lack of risk capital and the fact that there aren’t too many Canadians with the right commercialization and managerial skills. He suggests making it easier for broker-dealers in the United States to access the Canadian market thus offering more support to publicly traded companies. In the absence of that, the stock market in Canada is bound to continue under-performing, he said.

The lack of risk capital can either lead companies to move elsewhere, which is often the United States where they can find the private risk capital where the talent they need is available. Or it may lead them to go public too fast, says Schmitt.

He also added that neither of the two solutions is good for the Canadian economy.


Success is a state of mind.

To be successful, you need to commit to planning your life around that one burning desire or goal. Prior to making that big leap of faith, it is important to get rid of certain things from your life so that you are adequately prepared when your opportunity comes along.

Below is a list of 12 habits that you need to get out of your life with immediate effect.

financial-rules-success

Dropping the habits will not only make you successful in business but will also help you become more present with your family and friends and will make you happier in the end.

Start Overachieving & Stop Underachieving

Everything in life that’s worth doing is worth overdoing. When you are pursuing your goals, you shouldn’t stop after achieving the minimum. Keep doing it until you blow the goals out of the water and then continue working still. If you have this work ethic, only you can stop yourself.

If you have a unique talent, you should consider making it your side hustle. It is always important to set highly attainable goals for yourself to avoid falling short of the mark. Being ambitious is great, but if you constantly come up short, it can kill your motivation and morale.

Focus Instead of Multitasking

Studies show that 98 percent of people are not capable of multitasking successfully. Usually the people that believe they can do it are often the worst at multitasking. Stanford scientists write that people that multitask often have problems with organizing their thoughts, filtering out irrelevant information, and shifting from one task to the next.

The next time that you try to be productive, it can be a good idea to shit down all tabs on your computer except those relating to the task you are doing. Turn your notifications off and commit all your focus to that task. You will see a significant boost in productivity.

Avoid Checking Social Media While Working

Social media networks create a maze of posts and links designed to keep you hooked. It drains your time in a major way and doesn’t contribute to your success. Instead of checking Facebook and Instagram on your breaks, read TechCrunch or the New York Times to bring something genuinely meaningful to the next conversation you have.

Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others

Comparing yourself to other people never ends well. There will always be somebody out there that’s wealthier, smarter, better looking, and more successful than you. Thinking like this is distracting. You should focus on just you alone. More importantly, focus on achieving your short-term goals and the dominoes of success will start falling.

Avoid Wasting Time with Negative People

Avoid ruining your friendships or causing a scene. Just limit your availability for the toxic people in your life. While you will obviously come across them once in a while but negative influence makes you lose focus on what’s really important.

Avoid Making Excuses

If you want something, you should go out to get it. Avoid making excuses or creating reasons. Reasons are simply excuses with makeup on. If you don’t have a lot of experience, it is easy to constantly come up with excuses and convince yourself of your limitations. However, if you do this for so long, you will soon realize that you have created so many reasons why you can’t that it becomes a reality. Avoid being the victim since victims never succeed.

Avoid Being a Perfectionist

Be realistic. Avoid spending 5 hours extra meticulously creating color schemes and fonts for a presentation that only you will notice. This goes into managing your time. Be effective and efficient. Do not procrastinate by obsessing over small details that do not matter in the long run.

Don’t Complain

It is simple. If you think and talk positive, positive things will definitely come to you. Keep your glass half full. Levels of pessimism and optimism have a direct correlation with overall health. Keep your frowns down and your smiles up.

Stop Assuming That Everything is About You

Your upset boss is not thinking about firing you. The Lyft diver is not giggling at your tie. They probably have their own problems, and that’s what they are thinking about and not you. You will be much happier once you stop assuming that everything is all about you.

Stop Carrying All the Weight on Your Back

You are obviously in charge. However, it does not mean that you have to micromanage your staff and take on every challenge. Learn to delegate. The question you need to be asking yourself is not how you can get something done but rather how you can do it in the most efficient way possible.

Don’t Make Meetings a Priority

Mark Cuban is quoted as saying that one shouldn’t take a meeting unless somebody is ready to write you a check. Meetings often start late, run for too long, and are seldom very productive. Meetings are killers of time. It is always a better idea to make targeted contact with the right people throughout the day. If there isn’t clear value for you to gain or for you to give, it is not worth it to waste anybody’s time with meetings.

Don’t Use To-Do Lists

Start plugging all your tasks into the calendar. Having work integrated into a time table greatly enhances our efficiency. Spend the time you need to plan out your calendar and then ensure that you live by it.

Here are 10 Habits of Successful People

If you want to see a change within a matter of weeks, you need to live and abide by the rules provided here.

At the end of your day, sit down and reflect on the things that you did right as well as what you can do to get a better tomorrow.

The most important thing is to visualize success. If you do that, success will definitely come.


Finding a Reliable Certified Financial Planner

If you are like most people, you probably assume that financial advice is only for people of a certain age. However, that assumption is wrong. A financial advisor can be of help regardless of where you are in the journey of life. The common misconception is that financial advice is exclusively for the people with significant savings and have settled in their professional lives. The truth is that there’s much more to it than that.

Financial planning is designed to help investors of all types and at all levels achieve their financial goals, whether small or large through planning, setting realistic goals, and smart investment strategies. Expertise in financial planning benefits all demographics, which is why financial advisors can be of help to you irrespective of the stage of life that you are in.

In your 20s

The 20s are ideal time to think about one’s financial situation as well as planning for the future. For most people in their 20s, paying off student loans and finding a job are the top financial priorities. They might actually be living at home with parents to reduce costs.

teens and finance

Proper financial habits are usually set when one is young. What better time for hiring a financial advisor capable of showing you how to manage a budget, invest wisely, and plan for retirement? A person in his/her 20s might not have much to set aside for retirement currently but consulting a financial advisor now can be quite beneficial in the long run.

In your 30s

Once people reach 30, they start transitioning from young adults to financially responsible young professionals. People in their 30s usually have a few years of experience in the workplace, have already established their career trajectory, and have already started growing their savings. A higher and steady income should encourage new financial goals, which is where professional advice is particularly beneficial.

Financial advisors can help people in their 30s achieve various goals, such as saving for vacations and buying a car or house. They even offer advice on navigating employee benefits, including investing in employer-matching retirement plans and buying life insurance.

In your 40s

The 40s can be spent addressing several financial goals. Retirement is still a while away, but it is during this period when one should start setting aside some money for retirement. If you have children, you should be saving money for their post-secondary education. If you own a home, you will need to pay off the mortgage as well as any bank loans and credit card debt that you may have.

middle aged women

A financial advisor helps you allocate money to juggle the various conflicting financial goals. They work together with you and can recommend suitable investment strategies to ensure that you never feel the pinch.

In your 50s and 60s

People typically retire at different ages, but the ones in their 50s and 60s should consider doubling down on their retirement savings efforts. The people that started to save earlier for retirement might have more saved up, but the ones that haven’t started yet still have time to set some money aside.

A financial advisor helps you take a long, hard look at the numbers to help you find out whether the accumulated savings add up to the income you would like to have in retirement. If not, an advisor can help you identify the adjustments that should be made to help you achieve your goals.

After You Retire

If you assumed that you no longer require financial advice because you have retired, think again. During retirement, professional financial advice takes on new significance because you still require income to support your lifestyle. You might even still have goals to achieve, which is why you need a financial advisor to help with your estate planning.

Transitioning from savings accumulation to living on savings isn’t always easy. A financial advisor helps you identify tax-efficient investment strategies, ensure that you have enough savings to last you through retirement, and discusses with you plans for income splitting with your spouse.

A financial advisor can be your greatest ally when it comes to accomplishing your financial goals and achieving financial security. If you don’t have a financial advisor or would like to find a new one, here are some questions you should consider asking when looking for a financial advisor.