Straight Talk on Your Money: The Biggest Financial Myths and Mistakes...and How to Avoid Them

Discover 20 advantages that registered pension plans provide business owners that aren't possible with an RRSP.

How to find significant tax deductions by upgrading clients from RRSPs to pension solutions

How to use pension solutions within broader planning exercises such as the sale of business or transition to the next generation

Constructing portfolios within the parameters allowable by the provisions set forth in the Income Tax Act that can maximize the benefit of pensions.

Find out how the PPP differs from an IPP.

1. Introduction: Pension management in the context of the business owner demographic
2. Understanding the differences between RRSP and pension regulatory environments
3. Disadvantages of traditional RRSPs for a family company vs pensions
4. Navigating the Tax on Passive Investments by using a pension solution
5. Concept of Inter-Generational Wealth Transfer: pension surplus at work within a family company
6. How can one improve on the Individual Pension Plan: a review of combination plan solutions
7. Creditor Protection and Bankruptcy Protection in the context of pension plans
8. Fiduciary Oversight: the pension competitive edge
9. How the pension plan fits in with other competing strategies: insurance synergies
10. Investment management for Canadian small businesses
11. Asset allocation, risk assessment, return objectives and how to best maximize the probability for success in the scope of a customized pension plan

All relevant recent tax changes including, UCCB enhancements, the family tax cut, changes to TFSA contribution limits, and changes to the capital gains deduction are covered in the course. It also incorporates a strategic and tax-efficient investment income planning process which will result in capital accumulations in the right hands within a family.

You will learn to be conversant in recent tax changes relating to a variety of investment opportunities. You'll also understand strategies and ordering rules using tax-free, tax-deferred, and taxable incomes. You'll use a series of assessment tools to structure your clients' pre- and post-tax investment income and to monitor ongoing results. You'll learn how to manage tax returns by being familiar with tax-free zones, clawback zones and marginal tax rates. You'll provide specific investment income planning approaches for a variety of taxpayer profiles, including young families, students, business owners, and retirees.

1. Real Wealth Management
2. Tax-Efficient Investing: Planning for Income and Capital
3. Business Income and Asset Planning
4. Introduction to Income Taxation in Canada
5. Growing and Preserving Tax-Efficient Wealth
6. Registered Investments
7. Tax Efficient Investment Income
8. Real Estate
9. Tax Efficient Asset Transfers
10. Principal Residences
11. Tax Efficient Debt Management
12. Risk Management: Tax Consequences of Disability and Death

The leading-edge program is designed to provide structure and process for advisors interested in specializing in tax-efficient retirement income planning. This is a skillset in great demand by the baby boomer demographic—the most affluent generation in our history—who seek credible, expert solutions to their complex retirement planning requirements, and view tax erosion as the biggest threat to their wealth. In fact, with recent tax changes that introduce a high-income tax bracket, this is true.

This course covers a holistic retirement income planning process. You will acquire the knowledge to do a proper assessment of client vision and goals for retirement and engage them in a consistent process for addressing the three trigger questions that cause financial decision-making—life, financial, and economic events.

You'll establish a strategic “real wealth management plan” based on client needs for tax efficient income as well as after-tax capital preservation, growth and transition. You'll plan a 20-year retirement income strategy that minimizes capital encroachment in order to preserve as much savings as possible for uncertain futures, but in addition, averages down taxes on many layers of income sources that will be earned by a couple in retirement.

Through a variety of Advisor Think Tanks and case studies, you will demonstrate the customization of a retirement income plan and responses to specific questions pre-retirees have, like do I have enough?; when should I take my CPP pension benefit?; and what should I do with my severance package?

1. Methodology: Tax-Efficient Retirement Income Planning
2. First Steps: Helping Clients Envision the Plan
3. Tax Changes Relating to Retirees
4. Managing Government Income Sources
5. Managing Canada Pension Plan
6. Planning with Tax-Assisted, Self-Funded Sources
7. Foreign Pensions and Non-Registered Accounts
8. Tax-Efficient Retirement Income Planning for Employees Part 1
9. Tax-Efficient Retirement Income Planning for Employees Part 2
10. Planning for Post-Retirement and Survivors

This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of succession planning, enabling you to understand the key concepts in this important area and assist your clients in developing succession plans for their businesses.

You'll develop an understanding of the importance of the planning process, and how routine planning in the business is an important precursor for succession planning. You'll learn to differentiate and understand the relationship between succession planning for key positions in the business and for the business as a whole.

You'll coach business leaders and potential successors as to their roles and responsibilities in succession planning, particularly in terms of personal implications. You'll also Identify the key financial issues that business leaders and potential successors should consider when conducting succession planning, and the impact that the decisions they make can have on their future financial position.

Another key area you'll learn about is succession planning implementation.

You'll assist clients in challenging times, including failed succession attempts and assist business leaders in understanding the options and process for pursuing succession to a third party.

1. Introduction to Succession Planning
2. Essentials of Planning and the Planning Process
3. Key Positions that Require Succession Planning
4. Role and Responsibility Issues for Business Leaders
5. Financial Issues for Business Leaders
6. Role and Responsibility Issues for Successors
7. Financial Issues for Successors
8. Succession Plan Implementation
9. Succession of the Business to Another Organization
10. Succession Planning: Specialized Situations

Capture the underlying algebraic equations in the evaluation and management of risk and return in a pre- and post-retirement portfolio in a visual format that makes it easier to set short and long-term goals. This allows better decision-making about investing when human capital is retired and financial capital must take over in providing income. The result is greater peace of mind and the opportunity to transfer an increasing family net worth to the next generation.

You will be exposed to software and online tools that will aid in the application of the concepts discussed throughout the course. Discussions and examples of how to employ these tools will be featured throughout the course—graphically and in case settings.

You'll explore the changing environment for risk and return, and how it weighs on an ageing demographic. In addition, you'll decipher the current interest rate environment and how it manifests into increasingly complex solutions and understand how to focus on strategies for risk mitigation for pre-retirees and retirees alike.

In this course, you will learn to explain and integrate modern portfolio theory, relating it to a post-financial crisis environment that still bears a number of short and long term risk factors. You'll use financial literacy to guard against complaints around inappropriate risk tolerance or investments and evaluate a variety of risks within asset classes using a multi-dimensional approach. You'll come to understand how to use the combination of both risk and return to make more informed recommendations.

Using the power of simulations and modelling, as well as a defined process for goal setting and financial assessments, you will learn to explain the most powerful financial concepts to predict and evaluate risk and return in the retirement period. You'll use current data to make investment decisions and then monitor changes in personal net worth as a result of sound decision-making.

1. Measuring and Calculating Returns
2. Standard Deviation
3. Correlation & Beta
4. Calculating Portfolio Risk
5. The Efficient Frontier
6. The Capital Asset Pricing Model
7. Generating Risk-Adjusted Returns
8. Indexing and the ETF Evolution
9. Software Tools for Portfolio Analysis
10. Portfolio Management in the Context of the Current Market

Trusts are used on an ever-increasing basis to plan for wealth and succession objectives for medium and high worth clients. An advisor who can assist with that process enjoys the oppor­tunity to nail down long-term, intergenerational connections with clients and their families.

You will come to understand the basics of trusts and learn how to explain them to clients. You'll also learn how to avoid probate fees using alter ego trusts and RRSP trusts, and reduce income taxes using charitable remainder trusts, estate freezes, and testamentary trusts. Among the subjects covered is learning how to protect children from gold-diggers, protect wealth from creditors, and safeguard beneficiaries from poor financial judgment using control designed trusts. Also covered is learning to help clients with disabled beneficiaries. Identifying opportunities and needs for insurance products as part of trust planning is a subject area as well.

1. Basic Trust Mechanics
2. Trusts as Mechanisms to Exert Control
3. Basic Tax Treatment
4. Testamentary Trusts
5. Inter Vivos Trusts, Inter Vivos Trusts
6. Charitable Remainder Trusts
7. Alter Ego and Joint Partner Trusts
8. Insurance and RRSP Trusts
9. Spousal Trusts
10. Trusts for Disabled Beneficiaries

Many of your clients own their own homes and have a mortgage. This creates an opportunity to become their trusted advisor by adding value above and beyond your competition by showing them how to improve their cash flow, eliminate their expensive mortgage quickly, and invest significant sums each month – all without requiring additional cash flow on a monthly basis. When integrated with a Personal Pension Plan, your advice, guidance and services will prove extremely valuable.

Why every Canadian homeowner should examine making their mortgage tax-deductible.

What The Smith Manoeuvre requires, how it works and how your clients can benefit.

Avoid common mistakes and get clarity on common misunderstandings and myths.

What are the risks and issues surrounding suitability and qualification?

How The Smith Manoeuvre and a Personal Pension Plan can integrate to significantly increase your clients’ financial security.

How becoming a member of the Canada-wide Smith Manoeuvre Certified Professional network can build your business.

1. Why Canadians Need The Smith Manoeuvre…and Debt!
2. What is The Smith Manoeuvre?
3. Accelerators, Conversion, Investment & Taxation
4. Common Myths, Mistakes & Other Things to Know
5. Costs, Risks, Suitability & Common Questions
6. The Smith Manoeuvre and the Personal Pension Plan
7. The Smith Manoeuvre Certified Professional Accreditation Program
8. The Smithman Calculator Tutorial