A friend of mine who just started a new job recently said something to me that got me thinking… He said, “It’s strange to walk into a workplace where everyone is so happy to be there.” This kind of took me by surprise – I really enjoy my job and the team I work with.…

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How to get $1,200 from the BC Government for your child’s education In order to help families save for their children’s education, The B.C Government is offering to contribute $1,200 to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) through the B.C. Training and Education Savings Grant (BCTESG). The best part is, if you shop around, you…

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Can’t I Just Call Them “Casual Labour”? Businesses in Canada are subject to a statutory requirement to withhold income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums from their employees.  This places an administrative burden on employers that many will seek to avoid whenever possible.  This blog discusses the nature of casual employment…

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If you have a balance owing on your personal tax return, there is an easy way to pay – Online!   In order to make a payment, please locate your bank below and follow the steps. You may need to first sign up for online banking – contact your bank for help with this. If your…

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Review of your Tax Return by the Canada Revenue Agency Nobody likes receiving a letter in the mail from CRA.  And when that letter tells you that your return is being reviewed – well, yuck…. Each year, CRA selects tens of thousands of income tax returns for review as part of their Processing Review (PR)…

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If you are like a third of Canadians and are unsure of how Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) work, this article will help clarify what they are, contribution limits, benefits, and how to use your TFSA. What is a TFSA? A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a registered, general-purpose savings vehicle that allows Canadians to…

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If you sell services (or anything, for that matter) and extend credit to your customers, collecting your receivables is something you likely need to do.  Making collections calls can be super awkward; we don’t generally like having to ask for money that is rightfully ours to begin with. It is uncomfortable for the asker and the askee… Here are…

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A presentation by the United States Surety Information Office (www.suretyinfo.org) indicates that the rate of failure of contracting businesses was 20-30% between 2002 and 2012. Given such a high failure rate, it is worth examining the root causes of failure in order to understand how to minimize the chance of failure. It turns out that…

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With the ratio of household debt to disposable income climbing to a staggering 163% as of late, personal budgeting is of increasing importance to the financial health of Canadians. Creating a budget is one thing, but sticking to it is another story altogether. Here are some simple steps that will help develop, and more importantly,…

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Are you a business owner that is ready to incorporate? If you aren’t sure, take a gander at our blog entitled “Should I Incorporate My Business?” (Should I Incorporate my Business?).  If you know you’re ready, there’s something you need to consider which you might not have thought about – the transfer of your business from…

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