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Lectures & Seminars

• Using Tax Returns as a Road Map to Financial Planning
• Taxation of Real Estate
• Wealth Management Primer
• Financial Planning Primer
• Estate Planning Primer
• Tax Update
• Taxation of Investment Income
• Introduction to Personal Tax
• Income Splitting from A to Z
• Ten Commandments of a True Professional
• TFSAs: Beyond the Rules and into Strategy

TFSAs: Beyond the Rules and into Strategy

This course looks at the long term implications for TFSAs with respect to overall investment strategy.

Wealth Management Primer

This half-day course will share 10 Investing Caveats that will provide a solid frame of reference for long term portfolio success.

• Work to a plan
• Its about Diversification and Discipline
• Respect the body of knowledge
• Understand what you invest in
• Spend the “right amount” of time on your investments
• Manage greed
• Apply tax smart investing principles
• Get control of the tax gate
• Minimize investment management costs
• Using an advisor effectively

Financial Planning Primer

This half-day course attempts to demystify what financial planning entails. Topics include:

• Financial planning industry structure in Canada
• Canadian attitudes to financial planning
• Review of the scope of financial planning
• Holistic overview
• Formalized 6-step and "modular" planning processes
• Real-life examples from the trenches

Here's what past participants have said:

• "The content and delivery of the seminar was outstanding. I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it to anyone"
• "I think the seminar was great"
• "I thoroughly enjoyed the seminar. It was very informative, well prepared and well delivered"
• "The speaker was excellent and the materials covered were very informative"
• "The seminar was very good. It was one of the most interesting non-accounting related seminars I have attended"
• "The seminar was interesting and enjoyable. The handout materials (provided) lots of valuable information"

Tax Update

Don has delivered an Annual Tax Update course every winter since the early '90's. The half-day seminar is delivered at various locations in the Lower Mainland. It focuses specifically on changes in tax law in the past year.

Taxation of Investment Income: Tips and Traps

This course arises from the blend of Don's dual role as a tax practitioner and an Investment Manager. The result provides practitioners with very useful background on investment matters. The course starts by reviewing the taxation of property income and capital gains for both residents and non-residents, and for individuals, corporations and trusts.

Other topics include:

• income splitting and attribution
• investor tax rates
• tax-smart investing principles
• corporate structures
• taxation of specific investment vehicles
• tax-free savings accounts
• deductions from property income

There is also a corporate module which demystifies the functioning and rationale of Part IV, RDTOH, Part I Refundable, Eligible and Ineligible Dividends and Capital Dividend Accounts in the context of integration of passive income for private companies.

Here's what past participants have said:

• "Good suggestions for value-added to clients"
• "Extensive coverage of material -- lots of knowledge -- very precise and clear"
• "Material is very relevant -- delivery is good"
• "Excellent real-life examples based on [Don's] extensive experience"

Estate Planning Primer

This 1/2 day course provides a valuable background to trusts and estates.

Topics include:

• Issues and opportunities in will drafting
• Probate fees and strategies
• Background on trusts
• Review of the different kinds of trusts
• Taxation of trusts

The course is full of Stories from the Trenches of real situations.

What past participants have said:

• "Speaker very, very good"
• "Good presentation and useful topics"
• "Very entertaining and informative"
• "Excellent seminar"
• "Speaker very knowledgeable - really good"

Introduction to Personal Tax
(New in 2008)

This is intended as a training course for professionals entering the world of personal tax practice. The course builds the ground-work for competency in personal taxation and also covers various tips and traps to deliver value to your clients.

The course format follows through the preparation of a personal tax return, from employment income through to MINTAX and refundable tax credits. You will also be shown how to utilize the power of tax software to help you be smarter and more efficient, using (for instance) tailored diagnostics to identify potential errors and opportunities.

Taxation of Real Estate
(New in 2009)

This all-day course surveys the breadth and depth of real estate taxation.

Topics include:

• passive income tax rates
• ownership structures
• property vs. business vs. capital gains
• deductible expenses
• reserves
• replacement property rules
• demolition
• principal residence and cottages
• non-resident taxation
• change-in-use rules
• estate planning issues

Here's what past participants have said:

• "Very informative course"
• "A very worthwhile class"
• "The instructor is very knowledgeable and qualified"
• "Absolutely excellent! Great content and a great presenter"

Using Tax Returns as a Road Map to Financial Planning

It is an easy trap to become too task-oriented at tax time. But April is the time of year when all of your clients' personal affairs cross your desk. The progressive practitioner can serve clients better by wearing multiple lenses whilst processing all of those T-slips. As a result, the routine tax return can be a gold mine of inspiration for higher-level application of financial and wealth management strategies.

The Roadmap course can teach you how to systematize the integration of taxation and financial planning into your annual Tax Season. Commercial tax preparation software easily can be programmed with "If statements" to create filtered lists and tailored diagnostic checklists to facilitate your value-added integrated approach.

Here's what past participants have said:

• "Very informative and very well presented"
• "I will be paying attention to my client's tax returns with a different perspective after today -- thanks"
• "Well done -- humorous -- great presentation"
• "One of the best presentations I saw all year -- chock full of information"
• "I love this webinar. It is so jam packed with valuable information for the participants. You give great examples of wealth management experience. Thank you , Thank you, Thank you."

Income Splitting: from A to Z

This is a short survey course of the law and opportunities for income splitting across family members and related corporations and family trusts.

Income splitting opportunities are reviewed in the context of:

• financial planning
• estate planning
• investment planning
• tax planning
• tax compliance

Ten Commandments of a True Professional

This seminar is best suited to a luncheon address. It addresses ten habits of a consummate professional, which don't appear in regular ethics courses. These habits cross-fertilize lessons from philosophers, stock brokers, religious leaders, mathematicians, actors, accountants.. and even a cartoon character.