Kate McCaffery

Happy retirees making life easier for Canadian advisors

Canada is a good place to be a financial advisor. A recent international survey of retirement attitudes and realities in different countries found that Canadians are reasonably open to suggestions about retirement and estate planning. The poll also illuminated a couple of areas of concern that smart advisors might do well to capitalize on.

By Kate McCaffery | May 6, 2013

2 min read

Planning and Advice

Save an endangered client relationship

When clients leave, it can be surprising. But, often there are signs the relationship was on the rocks.

By Kate McCaffery | November 12, 2012

5 min read

Market Insights

Resources to lag in soft global economy

More than any other asset, the demand outlook for commodities is intrinsically tied to the big picture. Forget bottom up investing; if you want to predict the price of, say, copper, you need to examine the entire macroeconomic picture in all of its dismal glory.

By Kate McCaffery | January 19, 2012

4 min read

Industry

Clearing the DI sales hurdle

Disability income (DI) insurance isn’t the sexiest or most lucrative offering in an insurance advisor’s lineup. But DI is an important part of the puzzle for anyone who makes a point of offering holistic advice.

By Kate McCaffery | November 23, 2011

5 min read

Products

Commercial mortgage fund built on yield

In the years after the ABCP fiasco, the managers of the ACM Commercial Mortgage Fund were able to make some “incredible deals” while their competition was forced to sit on the sidelines.

By Kate McCaffery | September 12, 2011

6 min read

Market Insights

A resourceful market

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: World economic woes or no, demand for Canada’s commodities remains fired up, and poised to increase even further according to fund managers. Driving that growth are trends in emerging economies, where industrialization is unrelenting, and improved diets are fuelling demand for agricultural commodities. On the energy front, increasing […]

By Kate McCaffery | October 12, 2010

4 min read

Life

WL or UL? Depends on the client

The question of whether a client belongs in a universal life policy or a whole life policy is complicated by a few different facts and factors these days. Some advisors have their preferences, people have their own ideas, sometimes their own misconceptions, and even markets today are influencing opinion about each product. Universal life policies […]

By Kate McCaffery | July 7, 2010

6 min read

Industry

Planning the (blended) family business

Estate planning done badly is one of those areas where only the lawyers make out well in the end. This is particularly true when it comes to tax and estate planning for blended families. Even if a client’s decisions are not particularly contentious, there are still places where a significant amount of money can be […]

By Kate McCaffery | April 9, 2010

5 min read

Estate Planning

Provinces crack down on aggressive tax planning

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: On the surface, inter-provincial tax planning appears pretty simple—clients should assume they’ll pay tax on any income or disposed assets based on the rates of the province they live in. But wealth management strategies tend to be more complex than that, especially if there are ways to avoid […]

By Kate McCaffery | April 6, 2010

4 min read

Tax News

Tax credits: Use them or lose them

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: Clients often wonder whether it makes sense to save up their eligible tax credits—like those for charitable donations—over several years and claim them all at once. Unless they’re not paying tax at all, the answer to that question is usually no: if they have them today, they should […]

By Kate McCaffery | April 6, 2010

2 min read

Tax News

RRSP plans in a post TFSA world

This Advisor.ca Special Report is sponsored by: Some clients may be coming up short for RRSP top-ups this spring, having maxed out their TFSA contributions early in the New Year. And who can blame them? Clients are bombarded by advertisements touting the benefits of the TFSA. More often than not, the TFSA marketing message has […]

By Kate McCaffery | February 11, 2010

4 min read

1 2 3 … 23 Next →