Hello Every body!!!  Although its very cold here in Ottawa, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and successful 2010!  And with the New Year still ringing in our ears, maybe it’s a good time to make a new resolution.  A “Financial Resolution”.  Please don’t confuse this with dieting or starting back up at the gym. Think of this as a simplified financial plan for 2010 that can help you reach your goals for the coming years.

Did you achieve your financial goals this past year?  How about this past decade?  Whether you did or did not, this may be an excellent time to make up a new plan, updated to include any changes from the past years.  Did you buy a new house? Get married? Have children? All these things can have a large impact on your financial situations, so make sure to adjust your plan accordingly.

The main goal of a financial plan is financial freedom.  I think most people would agree with me on that.  So what does financial freedom look like to you?   Take a minute and picture where you want to be in 10 years, then 20 years and so on till you have a clear picture of where you would like to be.  Then sit down and try to imagine how to get to that first step.  Proper money management is crucial to the maintence of your plan, so don’t be scared to ask for help.  Your financial advisor is a prefect place to start.  Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Cash flow

It’s a good idea to keep track of the money coming in and out of your accounts.  Look at where the majority of your out flow is heading and see where you can save money in your spending.  Budgeting is a huge aspect of financial freedom.  Also review your portfolio to see if your investments are inline with your goals.  Some plans were set up years ago and should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are still on course. 

Insurance and Emergency Funds

Protecting yourself and your family’s lifestyle are another important aspect of your plan.  Have an “Insurance Needs Review” done to make sure you’re properly covered; especially if there have been any major changes in your life.  You can find these on many insurance web sites if you don’t have an insurance broker you can talk to.   Also, start an emergency fund if you don’t have one, as unexpected events can be managed when you’re prepared.  A good place for this may be the “tax free savings account”, and with the New Year comes more contribution room, so be sure to look into this option.

Tax planning is not just a year end topic.  Tax planning and preparing can be done through out the year and are important factors to a financial plan.  The type of investments you hold and the tax bracket your in will influence your return, so examine these components carefully and make sure that taxes are working effectively for you, and not against you.   It’s also a good idea to keep careful documents of all your transactions and purchases so when tax time does come around, you have all your necessary information handy.

Financial Education

How about some plans for increasing your financial knowledge? Even the most experienced investor needs to keep up on changes to tax laws and new government incentives like the “tax free savings account”.  You can find a wealth of information at your local library, on line threw blogs and financial websites, and in many magazines and newspapers. 

And many others…..

There are many factors to consider when drawing up a financial plan that I haven’t mentioned, such as risk tolerance, mortgage payments, estate planning, etc…  So it may be in your best interest to ask for some help from a qualified financial advisor.  I am simply hoping to get you thinking about your finances and to get you started on your way to a healthy financial future.  Remember financial freedom is the goal, so stay on track and update your plan regularly.

Adam Myers

Financial Advisor

Professionals for Independent Planning

Email: adam@pfip.ca

We’re living longer in today’s society then ever before, and all data tells us this trend will only continue to increase.  But as we age, many of us will confront illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. And what happens when we can no longer care for ourselves or our parents or other loved ones?  This is when long-term care insurance comes in.

Do you know someone already in private or public care?  Almost half of Canadian workers have eldercare responsibilities that impact time and financial resources, even with government aid. So it’s no surprise that the financial implications of long term care need to be addressed. 

Long-term care insurance helps cover the costs of in-home care or a long-term care facility should you no longer be able to care for yourself. It can help you and your family members maintain your desired lifestyle, independence and financial security.

While there is a degree of public care available for long-term care, government programs are not all-inclusive and certainly not “top of the line” when compared to private facilities. Long-term care insurance helps to fill these gaps in care that government plans leave open.

Some experts recommend purchasing coverage between the ages of 50 and 55. Generally, the minimum coverage provides benefits to pay for health and personal care services for those living in a long-term care facility. Additional coverage can also be obtained to cover in-home care. This would include help with everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning and shopping.

With long term care you have the option of selecting benefits that cover you for one year, two years, five years or for your entire life.

Not only can long-term care insurance help you in dealing with the financial responsibility of providing ongoing long-term care, it can also help to ease the financial burden that may fall upon your loved ones – while preserving your savings and investments you worked so hard to accumulate.

Living in a long-term care facility (depending on the type of room, care services, facilities etc. and the government funding available in your province) can cost anywhere from $800 – $5,000 a month.  Homemaking and personal care can cost about $15 – $25 an hour.  Nursing home care can cost anywhere from $25-$65 an hour.  These costs are just general estimates and can range much higher if you choose upper levels of standards of care.

As far as costs are concerned, you can get basic plans for as little as $1 dollar a day, or more complex plans for about $5 dollars a day.  These numbers vary based on age and health.

We like to think of long term care as a tool to help preserve your life savings and RRSP’s at the time you need them most.  At $5000 dollars a month, savings can’t last long, and with many boomers looking to pass on inheritances to their children or grandchildren, this may be the perfect tool to ensure those wishes are granted.  So prepare today for a healthy, sustainable future with long term care insurance.  I would be happy to help explain this matter in full detail.  Feel free to contact me at:

Adam Myers

Financial Advisor

Professionals for Independent Planning

Email: adam@pfip.ca

Phone: 613-224-5511   X108

www.pfip.ca

Five reasons you should be nice to your insurance agent

By TIM CESTNICK

00:00 EDT Thursday, July 23, 2009 Page B10

Special to The Globe and Mail

A good friend of mine, Greg, works in a high-stress job on Bay Street. In the summers, he and his wife like to get out of the city to go camping in their motorhome. He finds it very relaxing, but this summer they have found their peace and quiet disturbed by well-meaning, but unwelcome, visits from other campers. Greg has devised a plan that pretty much guarantees they will have privacy. Now, whenever they set up camp, Greg places a sign on the door of their RV that reads: “Insurance agent. Ask about our new term life package.”

That does it – every time.

I know that insurance advisers get a bad rap sometimes. But let me say out of the gate that there are some characteristics of life insurance that make it useful as a tax and estate planning tool, namely: Benefits are paid out completely tax free when the insured individual dies.

Further, it’s possible to accumulate investments inside an insurance policy on a tax-sheltered basis – not quite like your registered retirement savings plan, but similar.

Next, if a corporation is the beneficiary of a policy on a life, a portion (often 100 per cent) of the benefits paid out upon the death of the insured individual will be credited to the company’s “capital dividend account” (CDA). Amounts in the CDA can be paid out as tax-free dividends to shareholders of the company. It’s primarily this combination of characteristics that creates many uses for insurance.

The key to buying insurance prudently is understanding three things very clearly: First, what is the purpose of the life insurance you are buying? Second, how much is the right amount of coverage? Finally, what is the right type of life insurance to buy? If you can wrap your mind around the answers to these three questions, you should have confidence in the investment you’ve made in insurance.

Let’s address the first question. There are many reasons why you might consider buying life insurance. These will generally fall into one of five categories:

Provide for Others

If you have dependants who will otherwise face hardship financially if you pass away, it will be important to buy insurance on your life to provide the capital necessary to generate an income for those dependants. In addition, you might want to leave money to others who have needs, such as your favourite charities.

Cover Final Disbursements

When you pass away, there will be costs and debts to pay. Who is going to pay for these? Think about the following types of disbursements: Funeral costs, legal and accounting fees, income taxes, executor fees and probate fees, as well as outstanding mortgages, credit card balances, lines of credit and other loans. You could leave your spouse or others in a bind if you saddle them with the requirement to pay for these things out of their own pockets.

Provide Equitable

or Larger Bequests

If it’s your desire to treat your kids equally, life insurance can make that possible. For example, suppose you leave your cottage to your daughter who uses it, and your investments of equal value to your son. Suppose also that the cottage gives rise to a tax bill on your death. Where will the cash come from to pay the taxes? Potentially from your son’s share of the estate. This could leave him shortchanged. Life insurance can provide the cash to equalize the estate.

Alternatively, perhaps you just want to leave your kids more than you could otherwise without insurance.

Shelter Income From Tax

As I mentioned, life insurance policies can provide tax-sheltered growth. You won’t be taxed annually on income earned inside the policy. Now, there are relatively low provincial income taxes paid by the insurance company on investment income inside the policy, but you won’t see that tax – or feel it much.

You can expect slightly lower returns inside an insurance policy because of this tax, fees and administrative costs, but historically the returns in some of the whole life insurance policies have been quite stable – and tax sheltered. Speak to an insurance adviser about the performance of participating whole life policies.

Maintain Business Health

As a business owner, consider insurance to provide cash for a surviving partner to buy out the estate of a deceased partner, maintain stability in the business if a key person dies, pay off debts of the business if a key person dies, or repay the business for any significant costs incurred (such as pension contributions).

© The Globe and Mail

You don’t have to do anything to your portfolio for it to change. That’s because some of your investments will go up as other investments go down.  This is the market as we know it. Those investments that have done well will begin to take up more of your portfolio than those that haven’t done so well. And you don’t have to do a thing for that to happen.

But every so often, you need to readjust your portfolio to restore its original balance or mix.  If your investment goals haven’t changed, your portfolio’s mix shouldn’t either. But thanks to market forces it almost certainly will. Hence the need for rebalancing.

And this doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth.  Follow these steps to an easy rebalance:

Step 1: Figure out your target portfolio mix

This was the blend of asset classes and investment styles that were going to allow you to reach your investment goal.

Step 2: Compare your target mix to your current mix

Compare you cash and bond holdings to your equities.  Evaluate if you’re still on course, comparing risk and returns, as well as types of income for tax purposes. 

Step 3: Determine where your investments are out of line with your original target

Begin by seeing how your cash and bond positions have shifted compared to your equities. Very often, your positions in these areas will shrink relative to equities because, in general, equities as a group outperform cash and bonds.

Then, consider your sector exposure. Although you may not have built your portfolio with a specific sector in mind, you want to be sure that you aren’t overexposed to one industry.

Finally, look at your investments, one by one. Which ones have performed the best? These investments may now be taking up more of your portfolio than you originally intended.   

 Step 4: Readjust

Remembering your target mix, line up your risk and return blend to match your goals and objectives.  Sitting down with your financial advisor can help ensure the proper allocation of assets.

Effective rebalancing doesn’t mean keeping daily tabs on your portfolio. Instead, follow these guidelines:

Guideline 1: Rebalance every year or so. We’re not saying you should only look at your portfolio once a year. But resist the urge to tinker when you do. You’ll save yourself unnecessary labour and possible administrative costs.

Guideline 2: If you rebalance just one thing, make it the equity/cash split. Your cash and bond stakes are vital to keeping your portfolio in check. So if you don’t want to rebalance your entire portfolio on a regular basis, at least restore your cash and bond positions to their original levels yearly.

Guideline 3: Be a tax tactician. Keeping your portfolio in line isn’t satisfying if it means you also wind up with poor after-tax returns.  Try rebalancing less frequently, to avoid gains taxes.  Use new money to top up the holdings that are down, rather then selling the ones that are up.  And if you have the choice, switch securities in the same fund family, rather then selling to avoid capital gains taxes and administrative fees.

Rebalancing can become difficult and ineffective without proper knowledge of the markets, so make sure you understand what you’re doing before making any rash decisions.  A financial planner can help you make the right choices that will help you reach your goals quicker and more efficiently.

Adam Myers
Financial Advisor, Ottawa
PFIP-IPG
Email: adam@pfip.ca
Phone: 613-224-5511   X108
 
www.pfip.ca
www.joinipg.com

Estate Planning is a comprehensive process put in place to ensure your loved ones are well cared for after your death.  This includes creation of a will, the transfer of assets to your intended beneficiaries and minimizing taxes.

The actions you take now can ensure a smooth transition.  The concept of estate planning is not just for the wealthy, as everyone can benefit from a well thought out plan.  Some important things to consider are the structuring of asset ownership and the decreasing of probate fees, as well as legacy and charitable donation wishes.

A will is a legal document completed to communicate the deceased wishes relative to the distribution of the estate.  Legal guardians for children are also appointed as well as instructions for your own personal care should you become unable to care for yourself.  When creating a will, be sure you understand the three types of Power of Attorney.  There is the basic Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney for property and Power of Attorney for personal care.  All are very important and cover different aspects of life.   An executor should be named as well to ensure a person you trust is responsible for the distribution of the estate.

Some people may not realize that creditors and taxes must be paid before any beneficiaries can receive distributions.  This can be an issue if there is a lot of debt or probate fees to pay.  A good way to avoid problems is threw a life insurance policy with named beneficiaries.  Creditors have no right to the assets and they pass to your loved ones tax and probate free.  Also careful planning should be in place to ensure any money that can roll over to a spouse does, as it avoids the fees and can save you considerable amounts of tax money.

As you can see, estate planning is a complicated matter but leaving these issues unattended can make life far more complicated.  The best defence is a good offence, and I believe this holds true with estate planning. A little thinking now can go along way in the future for both you and your loved ones.

Adam Myers

Independent Planning Group

202-223 Colonnade Road South

Ottawa Ontario, K2E 7K3

Phone: (613) 224-5511 x 108

Email: adam@pfip.ca