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A 5-point prescription for healthy finances
Don’t let pandemic woes infect your bank balance The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many families’ financial plans into disarray. And while restrictions are gradually being lifted, activity is still far from normal. And, if the experts are right, there’s still the...
Make the most of COVID cash
Robyn Thompson, president of Castlemark Wealth Management, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss how to best invest extra cash at hand, especially for those who continue to work and are spending less due to the lockdown.
New grads facing financial challenges
Paying down debt, building savings, emergency benefits This year has been particularly challenging for new graduates of post-secondary schools. Because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the last semester for most students was likely done online, as were exams and other...
Retirement planning: invest surplus or pay off the mortgage?
Robyn Thompson is featured in The Globe and Mail’s “Financial Facelift” series by Diane Maley. Mark and Meredith are well positioned financially with robust cash flow, and want to retire, but they still have mortgages on rental properties. Should they pay off the...
Meeting the salary requirement for CEBA
Robyn Thompson is featured on BNN’s “Ask the Expert” feature on The Open, discussing the salary requirements for small business owners to apply for interest-free loans under the Canada Emergency Business Account...
Cottage sale tax tips
How to cut the capital gains tax hit Thinking about selling the cottage, cabin, or lakeside getaway? Plenty of people are, especially those of the Baby Boom generation who are finding that maintaining two properties is increasingly time-consuming, tiresome, and...
Financial implications of eldercare at home
Robyn Thompson is featured on Citytv’s Breakfast Television with Devo, discussing the financial implications of bringing an elderly parent home from a long-term care residence during the COVID-19 pandemic. What you need to know before making the...
5 rules to avoid pandemic investment frauds
The big come-on from dodgy vaccine-makers, fake gold mines The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many unpleasant consequences to our economy and social structure through emergency lockdowns and self-isolation. One of these is the proliferation of fraudulent investment...
Get credit where it’s due (deductions too)
June 1 tax-filing deadline With all the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, you might have taken advantage of the one-month extension of the tax-filing deadline to June 1. Payment of any tax owing has been extended to Sept. 1, but you must still file a return...
Post-pandemic portfolio planning
Rebalancing for recovery The March market meltdown, bond market gyrations, repricing of assets, and the flight to safety over the past couple of months has thrown many portfolios into disarray, particularly those of the do-it-yourself variety. The turmoil is likely...
Retiring now? How to avoid pandemic panic
Coping with withdrawal risks and benefiting from RRIF rule changes The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many retirement plans into disarray. The collapse of the stock market in March, volatility in bond prices, the crash of energy markets, and the shutdown...
Retirement planning during the pandemic
Robyn Thompson is featured in BNN’s “The Open” with host John Erlichman, discussing how retirement planning is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and what retirees (and those ready to retire) can do to protect their nest-egg and secure their income streams into the...