Family Stewardship & Philanthropy

I’m often critical of Canada’s financial regulators, but I applaud a recent effort by the country’s securities commissions to highlight the very real and growing problem of financial abuse of the elderly.

At PWL, we’ve noticed a big increase in interest in responsible investing among our clients and those who are considering becoming our clients. One of the key questions we are asked by these people is: Will I have to give up returns to invest according to my values?

The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (the RAMQ) has created a centralized directory, where you can draft just such a document, called an Advanced Medical Directive, and make it available to doctors and caregivers in our healthcare system.

You could be forgiven for thinking family trusts are only for the very rich. In fact, trusts can be an invaluable financial, estate and tax planning tool for many people.

Life insurance is a painful topic. No one likes to ponder their own death and how their family will live without them. That said, if you have a spouse and kids, you need to protect them from the possibility that you might not always be there.

The insurance industry makes it very easy for us to separate ourselves from our money. If you’re not careful, you can easily find yourself with far more of the wrong type of insurance than you need. If it’s any consolation though, you will have made your insurance broker really happy.

Mortgage debt is a normal thing to have in Canada. Based on 2016 census data, 61.7% of Canadian families own a principal residence, and 57.3% of those families had a mortgage.

Like those other unavoidable subjects—death and taxes, insurance isn’t something most people want to talk about. Nevertheless, many people wonder whether they’re carrying too little or too much life insurance. Let’s take a look at what you need to consider when thinking about insurance.

When it comes to planning your estate, you should have two goals. First, you want to make sure your wishes are respected. Second you want to make sure your family isn’t put through unnecessary pain and anguish. The problem is that too many people think their job is done once their will has been prepared.

Flow-through share donation plans are promoted by financial services companies that specialize in these plans such as Peartree Financial and Oberon Capital among others. They are commonly based on corporations in the oil & gas, mining and renewable energy sectors. This is part three of my donations series.