Blog | Crawford • Ashwood Financial

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…

We are all so busy living day to day, we often don’t take the time, or see the value in looking at the big picture. Or we are afraid of what that picture will look like so we actively avoid thinking about it. The beginning of any plan, financial or otherwise, involves having a vision for your life, both now and in the future. What would you like to do when you stop working at your full time job? Are you someone who is content to be at home surrounded by familiar things, with family and friends? Are you someone…

Kay and I are excited to begin this fun, educational resource for you (our clients), your families, and any friends that you think would enjoy visiting. Our hope by starting this blog is to create a source for information that is important to your financial lives, and an easy way to share such information with other people you care about. Given the complexity of many financial matters, we will attempt to present our contributions in a manner that can be easily understood, and not yawn worthy (although we can’t promise you will be as excited as us on some topics).…

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

Financial Planning = Lifestyle Planning

Hello World!