A year ago, outlooks for US and Canadian equities were cautiously optimistic after a strong 2023, particularly in the US. Caution was indeed needed on several occasions in 2024, but the broad sweep proved to be steadily upwards as major stock indices frequently set new highs on the way to a very good year. Equities […]
Many people avoid conversations about funerals, particularly their own. Some are indifferent to what happens to their body. Others dismiss the topic to deflect their discomfort, saying, “I’ll be gone anyway, so why worry about it?” Meanwhile, those who are superstitious may feel that discussing their own death is taboo and will somehow hasten their […]
In a typical estate plan, each spouse leaves their assets to the other. When the second spouse passes away, assets are distributed to the children. However, an estate plan is not usually typical when you remarry and have children from a prior marriage. When you remarry, you’ll update your will and beneficiary designations—and you may […]
Economy contracts on per-person basis Statistics Canada announced that, on a monthly basis, real gross domestic product (GDP) by industry contracted by less than 0.1% in August. This follows weak results for both of the previous two months and left annual growth at a lethargic 1.3%. Perhaps not surprisingly, the public sector experienced a 2.9% […]
With the weather cooling and winter on the horizon, snowbirds are poised to fly south—but if you’re looking to purchase a property in the U.S. or returning to one you already own, you may face estate planning complexities. On death, Canadian residents’ estates may owe income taxes in Canada, since there’s a deemed disposition of […]
After a dramatic campaign, US voters elected Donald Trump on November 5th with a GOP majority in Congress. Investors signaled their enthusiasm for the results with inflows of $141 billion into US equities during November, the highest four-week total on record. Major North American stock indices surged ahead to close November at new highs, with […]
Events in your life or changes involving the person you designated may call for a review of your executor—also known as a liquidator, estate trustee or personal representative, depending on the province. When the issue involves your executor If your executor has moved to a different province or a considerable distance away, you may wish […]
You may think the vast majority of couples retire at the same time. However, the last time Statistics Canada reported on Canadians retiring together or not, only about 30% of couples retired together.1 Also, an Ameriprise Financial survey conducted this year showed that a majority of American couples retire at different times.2 Here’s a look at […]
Whenever you have a chance to defer paying tax, a common thought is, “Why pay tax now when I can pay it later?” However, there’s more to the story than simply postponing the tax bill. Tax deferral offers three potential benefits. First, paying taxes in the future gives you more funds to meet your current […]
By Alfred Lam, MBA, CFA, Senior Vice-President & Chief Investment Officer of CI GAM | Multi-Asset Management This month, we asked one of our portfolio management teams, Wellington Management, to provide their insights into the markets and to explain how their portfolio is positioned. Outlook The U.S. equity markets continue to have narrow leadership this […]
