Blog | Crawford • Ashwood Financial

Although many tax planning considerations have not changed, there has been a lot of shifting supports from the government to get us all through the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to ensure you are prepared for filing your tax returns this year. Working from home If you have been working from home you are eligible to claim some expenses. Since so many people are doing this for the first time, the government has a simplified method to claim those expenses for 2020. The CRA is offering a “flat fee” for work-from-home deductions for 2020. Your employer does not need to fill…

To say 2020 has been an interesting year would be a massive understatement. Although in many ways it has been uncomfortable, it has also given us some time and space to take stock. And from my perspective as an ‘older adult’, yes ok, a senior citizen, the times of most discomfort provide the biggest lessons in our lives. When viewed with a curious mind we can find all kinds of useful learning opportunities through these times of COVID-19. Here are some things that have not changed but perhaps we needed to be reminded of: Obvious personal reminders are that our…

We’d like to share some comments on the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election—and the continuing effects of the current pandemic. It is so easy to get stirred up by the media that focuses only on the current and short-term view (which let’s face it has been rather dismal lately), and totally miss the long view. Calmer heads are looking past these short-term uncertainties however, and they are seeing opportunities for positive change in a variety of ways. We don’t profess to be experts in U.S. politics, so we won’t be calling the election here. The fact is anything could happen on…

If the current COVID-19 situation has taught us anything, it is that we need to be better prepared for unforeseen situations. Having an emergency fund is one of the most important things you can do financially. You don’t want to wait until you have an emergency to start thinking of implementing this into your plan. Just like you shouldn’t put off starting to save for retirement until your 50’s or 60’s. A plan is key here. An emergency fund should be able to cover your major expenses for three to six months, or longer. These savings are basically a pool…

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing hundreds of thousands of Canadians to work from home, some of us have endured increased costs to do so. Whether you’ve had to buy new equipment (not reimbursed or paid for by your employer), or just had an increase in your utilities due to being locked down at home while working full time, there are tax breaks you may be eligible to claim. Most self-employed individuals are well versed in the WFH (work from home) tax advantages, but if you’re an employee who is now working at home (whether just temporarily, or more permanently going…

It’s been a little while since we updated you on the state of the markets. COVID-19 surely caused the global markets to plunge back in March. It was relatively short-lived, and the market bottomed on March 23rd. Since then, markets have rebounded quite nicely already (about 50% up from the bottom) overall. The markets are driven by emotions, and uncertainty brings those emotions high, and causes reactions in either direction. This is what we call volatility – the ups and downs of the stock market. There is no doubt that some sectors were hard hit. With travel at a standstill…

I think that we are all feeling various levels of unease at present; from slightly off kilter to all-out anxiety. Watching the numbers of new infections of COVID-19 every day certainly doesn’t help, nor do the wild swings in markets help calm us. We are living in a world where we are bombarded with daily news and it can be exhausting trying to keep up with it all. As we talk to many of our clients, we find that everyone’s approach to coping is different. Some people are glued to their TVs and radios, others are choosing to use this…

On behalf of Amanda and myself, we would like to thank Marilyn for her 23 years of dedicated service. Marilyn came to work for me in 1997 as a part time administrative assistant which quickly grew into a full-time position in 1998. In that time Marilyn and I have seen many changes in both the investment world and in our financial advisory practice. Paper was king in the first twelve to fifteen years. Completing all that paperwork accurately, as well as organizing it and following up when necessary, was a monumental job. Today there is far less actual paper, but…

It has been a couple of difficult weeks for global markets. Volatility is soaring. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11th. It is now spreading quickly across the United States. The selling pressure last week is comparable to some of the worst selloffs in market history: 1929- 1932, 1987 and 2008. At times like these, investors can easily get lost in the headlines. As stewards of your capital, our primary job is to make sense of it all, keep the right perspective and, importantly, avoid big mistakes. Often that means keeping things simple. At present and looking ahead, what…

We have been spending a lot of our time talking to portfolio managers, economists and market strategists with decades of experience, to get a handle on what has been going on in the stock and bond markets. Although we haven’t seen a market sell off due to a pandemic on this scale in our lifetime, there have been lots of other ‘never before seen’ events. Just think back to the 2008 market rout. Lots of folks thought that was the end of making money in markets too. Then, the S&P went up 26% in 2009. Of course, everyone wants to…

Tax Tips for 2020

Goodbye 2020

What in the World?!

The Importance of Having an Emergency Fund

Work from Home Tax Benefits

Market Update

Thoughts for Difficult Times

Farewell

Keeping The Right Perspective

Market Volatility Update