by Beverley Moir on February 8, 2010
About 73% of Canadians in the Scotiabank survey said the recession hadn’t affected retirement plans. The number of Canadians who don’t fully plan to retire has dropped by half to 5% in 2009 from 10% in 2008, it found.
“To achieve their retirement goals, Canadian investors need to ensure they have a balanced portfolio,” said Beverley Moir, ScotiaMcLeod senior wealth advisor. “Many investors are sitting on the sidelines in cash, bonds or GICs, however the current historic low interest rates will not provide the growth needed for many to reach their set retirement goals.”
Listen to Bev Moir speak about the suvey on Toronto radio 680 news.
Bev Moir Talks about retirement on 680 News [2:14m]:
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by Beverley Moir on February 3, 2010
by Beverley Moir on January 22, 2010
Living Benefits
Critical Illness Insurance
One of the great advantages of modern technology is that it’s allowing more people to survive once fatal medical conditions. However, the unfortunate reality is that many survivors must bear a heavy financial burden for things like medical treatment outside Canada, or ongoing care at home or in a facility. What can prevent depletion of your savings if you should fall ill? Critical Illness (CI) insurance can stop loss and protect your assets. Critical Illness Insurance (pdf)
Living Care
You work hard, save and invest to reach your financial goals. You want to retire without financial worries, control your own future and never burden your loved ones. Maybe take a dream trip. Spend more time with family and friends. A summer home. An inheritance for your loved ones … But life is unpredictable. Some of those dreams may have to change if you develop serious health concerns. Manulife’s LivingCare long term care insurance can help you prepare for the unexpected. LivingCare helps preserve your savings and investments and gives you choice about the type of care you receive. It lets you live all of your life your way. Living Care Guide (pdf)
Long-Term Care Insurance
The good news you ask? Positive lifestyle changes and medical advances over the last few decades have resulted in people living longer. The bad news? Living longer increases the chances of developing chronic medical conditions and the costs associated with caring for these conditions can be astronomical. Fortunately, an insurance product exists that can provide financial support required, should there be a need for long-term care in the future. Long-Term Care Insurance Overview (pdf)
Estate Planning
Estate Bond
Would you like to give more to your family and less to the government? If your answer is “yes,” you might want to consider an Estate Bond®.
Estate Bond (pdf)
The Estate Reallocation Strategy
The key to effective estate planning is to minimize estate tax and maximize the amount of wealth that is transferred to the next generation. But how? Life insurance offers a unique strategy. The Estate Reallocation Strategy (pdf)
by Beverley Moir on January 12, 2010
A Quick Recap of our 2009 Strategy
Although global markets were falling into the abyss a year ago, we adopted a glass-half-full strategy for 2009, as we felt markets were pricing apocalyptic scenarios. With risk premia near record highs, the equity risk reward outlook was indeed very compelling a year ago. Getting confidence from our ISM model, we recommended investors add risky assets (equities, emerging markets, corporate bonds) and overweight cyclical sectors as ISM indices and employment data went from worse to bad. The worst of the global recession came in the first quarter of 2009 and economic activity has been improving since then. Our cyclical bias was maximized in June following the S&P 500 “golden cross” (50-day MA crossing the 200-day line). 2009 was a horrible year for the global economy, but equity markets managed to post solid performances, further illustrating how markets feed off anticipation, not what is written in the daily newspapers.
Read the full research report outlining portfolio strategy for 2010
by Beverley Moir on November 30, 2009
This article appeared in the Fall 2009 Registered Nurses’ Foundation of Ontario Newsletter
Charitable giving is a growing priority for many Canadians. We see this in recent statistics showing a substantial increase in donations. This kind of support for charity is unprecedented in our history. While generosity and belief in community are primary motivators, the greatest enabler is a series of new tax incentives that began in 1996.
Introduction of Federal Tax Incentives
In introducing these charitable giving incentives, the Federal government has given taxpayers a choice. It’s a choice about how individuals wish to support society and the amount of tax they wish to pay. With these new tax incentives, it’s now possible to eliminate tax on 75% of income, except in the year of death and the year prior to death, when this figure jumps to 100%. Everyone must contribute to society via the tax system, but the decision about where the contribution goes can now be directed by the individual taxpayer.
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by Beverley Moir on November 19, 2009
Emily Chiu, Bev Moir and Ingrid Sojka consult in the Moir Team office
