Building Wealth

For the first 30 or so years of working, saving and investing, you’ll be first in the mode of getting out of the hole (paying down debt), and then building your net worth (that’s wealth accumulation.). But don’t forget, wealth accumulation isn’t the ultimate goal. Decumulation is! (a separate category here at the Hub).

Millennial Money: An experiment in money-saving hacks

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As both a student and a millennial, my eyes are always peeled for helpful tips and advice on how to manage my finances. I recently came across this article from refinery 29 about “10 Bizarre Money Habits Making Millennials Richer.”

While I usually try and avoid this ‘listicle’ format, I was intrigued enough to look into it. The list surprised me in that it actually did include some new tips I hadn’t heard about before, like literally freezing your credit card (See image to the left).

I decided to run a little experiment based on this article, and I’m sharing the results with you now. I didn’t think it would be feasible to try and implement all ten of the habits. Besides, some of them don’t apply to me (I no longer have a car or any recurring payments coming out of my bank account), so I decided to focus on just a few of the tips to see how easy they really were to put into action.

Tip 1: Pick a denomination and save it

The first tip I implemented was to pick a denomination and save it, always. Unlike the article, I don’t get paid in cash (or at all really, apart from payment for blogs like this), so the only time I come into contact with physical cash is when I take it out of an ATM or get cash back at the grocery store.

I thought I’d start small: I would save all my £2 coins [the UK pound is the currency where I currently live, in Scotland] in a jar on my desk. This actually turned out to work quite well for me, as my current wallet is a card carrier without any space for coins. Every time I received change I separated out the £2 coins,  then made sure to move them into the jar every couple of days. After three weeks of this method, though, I had only saved around £12. Turns out, £2 coins aren’t given out that frequently as change.

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How to earn $50,000 in dividend income tax-free (in most provinces)

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The Financial Post has just published (in Thursday’s paper and online) my article headlined “You can earn $50K in tax-free dividends but there’s a catch: You can’t have a job.”

Can’t have a job, indeed, or a large pension or any other source of significant alternative income.

The article is based on a BMO Financial Group report (May 2016) entitled Eligible Dividend Income. It shows that at least eight provinces or territories make it possible to receive $51,474 a year in “tax-free” eligible dividend income, provided there are no other major sources of income, and notwithstanding any provincial health levies.

These include Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. It’s only $45,309 in Prince Edward Island, $35,835 in Quebec, $30,509 in Nova Scotia, $24,271 in Manitoba and just $18,679 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

BMO won’t update for 2017 until all 2017 provincial budgets are released. When it first began publishing the document for the 2012 tax year, the maximum amount of tax-free income on eligible dividends was $47,888 in Ontario and eight other provinces. The amount rose to $48,844 in 2013 and to $49,284 in 2014.

Dividend Tax Credit, Basic Personal Amount are keys

This low-tax phenomenon happens through a combination of the Basic Personal Amounts (which in 2016 makes the first $11,474 tax-free federally) and the 15.02% federal dividend tax credit on eligible Canadian dividends: Continue Reading…

Contrarian investing near market tops

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“Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is.” —Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Many stock market indices are hovering either at or near all time highs.

Successful investing near or at market tops is a skill worth having. Is it time to revisit your approach?

Most stock markets get their wings clipped periodically. Suddenly, interest in stocks has soared to lofty heights not seen before.

The question becomes “how does one invest in stocks now that most people are interested?” My view is that contrarian strategy delivers rewards in the long run.

Contrarian investors are very patient investors. They are not afraid to happily ‘zig’ when others want to ‘zag.’

Contrarians know that bulls and bears can swap chairs abruptly with little or no warning. Contrarians are content with either market direction.

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On the Middle Class & paying one’s fair share of taxes

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By Tim Paziuk

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

The Liberal Government has stated it wants to build a strong middle class, but who comprises the middle class?  Mr. Morneau in his 2017 budget speech stated, “All Canadians must pay their fair share of taxes,” but what is a “fair share”?  Does fair share mean the total amount of taxes one pays as a percentage of their gross income?  Is this based on an annual consideration or a lifetime consideration?  Or does fair share mean positively contributing to the general revenue?

The answer to the first question is an ongoing contentious debate.  According to former Finance Minister Mr. Joe Oliver, the middle class could include households earning as much as $120,000.  Given research completed by MoneySense Magazine[1], the middle class could include households earning incomes ranging from $38,800 to $125,000 (average second, third, and fourth quintiles for Canadian households), but this varies considerably between Provinces and Territories, and even between cities.  But does owning a private corporation automatically exclude you from the middle class?  The continued witch hunt on private corporations by the Liberal Government would indicate this is the case since it directly contradicts their mandate to build a strong middle class.

Comparing a private-sector and public-sector worker

It is at this time I would like to introduce Sally.  Sally could be a physician or accountant, an engineer or architect, a therapist or life coach, or a hairstylist or clothing retailer.  Suffice to say that either out of choice or necessity, she is self employed.  Let’s make her a plumber who is in a position where it makes sense for her to incorporate because she can defer income within her corporation and income split with her spouse under present tax legislation.  Her spouse works part-time.  Their situation can be summarized as follows:

  • Sally’s taxable corporate income: $100,000
  • Spouse’s gross income: $25,000
  • Net income required to meet their lifestyle: $80,000
  • Spouse’s CPP income: $4,300

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Making Canada great again

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By Trevor Parry

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

I have to apologize to my CFL fan friends, particularly in Saskatchewan, where I have found it the rule rather than the exception to find a shrine to the fabled “Riders” in clear site in most offices.  The game just doesn’t do it for me.  The one, two punt monotony of the game isn’t overcome by the stoic resolution to play in Stalingrad like conditions on the Prairie in late fall.

With his second foray into Budget making, Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s attempt must be described as nothing more than a punt.  In this instance they have kicked away the ball to see what the offense south of the border will do.  For fiscal conservatives, who believe budgets should only go into deficit when faced with financial calamity, rather than to send the swag to the long list of Liberal sacred cows, pet projects and friendly consultants, this Budget was more of the same Keynesian dirge, although with veiled threats of further confiscation of wealth.  Certainly Prince Justin and LSE alumni Billy are taking marching orders from the reconstituted politburo to lay low and wait to see what The Donald can get through.

The Trump tax reform package, which despite the recent  (and what I am sure will be a temporary) hiccup in repealing and replacing Obamacare, will likely enjoy complete GOP support and support of Democrats concerned about re-election in 2018,  is the most ambitious tax plan to see the light of day since the days of Ronaldus Magnus.  It puts the Trudeauopian punitive “tax the hell out of everyone who wants to save 10 cents” dictum in definite jeopardy.  It would reduce all tax rates, including the top rate down to 33% from to 39.60%.

Canadian top tax rates kick in at just $200,000, half that of the US

Canadians should know that the top bracket in the US doesn’t kick in until you hit an income of US$418,000 as an individual, $470,700 if you file jointly and $444,550 if you file as a head of household with dependents.  Remember the Little Prince cancelled the miniscule Family Tax Cut ($2k) professing claims of “fairness”.  Canadian top rates kick in at C$200,000.

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