Blog | Crawford • Ashwood Financial

So you’ve just bought a house! Congratulations. This is an exciting time in your life, and it is important to ensure you protect this big purchase. But what kind of protection do you need? Mortgage insurance is easy, convenient, and covers you for just the right amount. Life insurance offers many options for you to consider. I find many people don’t know the differences between mortgage insurance and term or permanent life insurance. Let me break down some key differences for you. Payout With insurance you get from your bank/mortgage company, the amount of coverage and subsequent payout if/when you…

We are sharing this article with you because it provides a terrific summary of how to make money by investing in good businesses. These wise words from some of the world’s most successful investors highlight some simple rules, that when combined with in-depth research, can beat the average investor’s tepid returns. It is our emotions as individuals that lead us to make bad investing decisions. You hire us to create a plan for you and ensure you make good decisions. We hire portfolio managers for you, to ensure emotion is taken out of your investing. I hope you find the…

The Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is a tax-sheltered plan that can help you save for a child’s post-secondary education. We all know that education costs are raising every year, and many parents, grandparents and other family members recognize the need to save long before the money is required. The major benefit to the RESP is the government grants that assist you to grow the account more quickly. Free money from the government, you say? Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that? Canadian Education Savings Grant (CESG) For an eligible beneficiary under the age of 18, the government matches 20%…

Facing retirement full in the face can be a really frightening prospect. Moving from actively earning your income, to passively receiving retirement income leaves many people weak at the knees. Will you have enough income? Should you take CPP early or late? When should you withdraw from RRSPs? Should you buy an annuity or move to a RRIF? What should you do with your company retirement pension or group RRSP when you retire? There are a lot of decisions to make, and it is important to make them informed decisions. Will you have enough income? The most important step here…

Let’s start with the Tax Free Savings Account (or TFSA). A lot of clients we talk to seem to have the misconception that you get a TFSA at a bank, and make a percent or two in a high interest savings account (if you’re lucky). The fact of the matter is that a TFSA is just another vessel to invest your money, just like an RRSP. Think of it as another hat to put mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and high interest savings accounts into. A TFSA seems to be advertised as a short term or emergency savings vessel, but that…

As we celebrate the end of 2013, we reflect on the past year. We hope that you have enjoyed the beginnings of our blog project, and we look forward to the next year of education and interaction with our readers. We also invite you to share your ideas on topics you’d like to see covered in the coming year. A new year brings new dreams, new visions, new resolutions, new opportunities. Kay, Marilyn and I wish our clients and readers all the best for a very prosperous New Year.

As we approach the end of 2013, it seems a good time to share some insights on the investment climate. Freshly back from a conference and meetings with some professional money managers, I can share how they are positioning portfolios, and making their buy/sell decisions. Stock Markets It has been a good year for stock markets generally, with most major stock indices of the world moving up as investors gradually gain confidence again. Europe is slowly easing out of recession. Asia, although slowing, is moving from an export economy to a more domestically driven economy, and is still growing at…

Part of being a really good financial advisor lies not only with investment selection or the ‘numbers’ of financial management, but with understanding human behavior, and how that can assist or impair an individual to achieving success. I recently read a book that can help all of us in our search to live a better life. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg shares the most recent research done to figure out why we do what we do in life and business. By understanding how our brains work (habits become very ingrained), we can then modify our behaviours to create new habits.…

Over the past few months you may have heard some news about a name change to our DundeeWealth business. As of today, November 1st, 2013, the DundeeWealth advisor network, owned by Scotiabank, has adopted a new brand identity – HollisWealth™. A little history Scotiabank acquired DundeeWealth in 2011 at which time The Bank of Nova Scotia and Dundee Corporation entered into several agreements regarding the trademarks used by the businesses. One of these agreements licensed the use of the DundeeWealth trademark to the Bank and this license expires on February 1st, 2014. This is why the new brand name HollisWealth…

So you’ve just accepted an offer for a new job, or received a nice promotion. Congratulations! With extra money coming in, it’s important to know how to take care of it properly. What are your goals? Does this extra income put you in a good spot to check something off your list? Maybe it’s finally moving out of your parents’ house, and getting your own place. Maybe it’s buying a new car, or maybe it’s saving for something special, or maybe, just maybe, you actually want to start putting more into your long term savings plan. The first course of…

Mortgage Insurance vs. Life Insurance

Wise words for do-it-yourself investors

Education Savings

Retirement Income Planning

TFSA vs. RRSP

Happy New Year

Year-End Investment News

The Power Of Habit

Our New Brand

A New Job