The 2019 Federal Budget tabled several proposals that will impact the financial, tax and estate plans of Canadians. The following is a summary of the most relevant budget proposals that may impact Smof Investment clients: Measures for Individuals Home Buyers’ Plan Withdrawal Limit Increase The home buyers’ plan (HBP) allows first-time home buyers to withdraw… Read More
The Smof Investment Blog
We would like to wish you and your family a happy new year. We hope to provide you with a brief overview of how investment markets have performed over the past year and to look ahead at what we can expect for 2019. How did markets do in 2018? After an unusually calm year of… Read More
In 2012, new rules were introduced that allowed Canadians to apply for CPP benefits as early as age 60 at a reduced rate, or as late as 70 at an increased rate. This was meant to address Canada’s evolving landscape of retirement, with some Canadians retiring before age 65 while others are working past it…. Read More
The S&P 500 has been rising for almost 10 years, and on August 22nd, it officially became the longest U.S. bull market in history, reaching 3,453 days from its humble beginnings on March 9, 2009. Where do we go from here? How much longer will this last? Will there be a downturn soon? These are… Read More
On Sunday, the United States and Canada reached a last-minute deal to save NAFTA as a trilateral pact with Mexico. The full text of the agreement can be located here. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) largely leaves the broad North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) intact, and maintains current supply chains that would have… Read More
Following a particularly volatile start to the year in the first quarter, many global equity markets delivered somewhat steadier returns in the second quarter. The MSCI World Index finished the period with a gain of 1.9% in U.S. dollar terms, while the S&P 500 Index, a broad measure of U.S. stocks, rose about 3.4%. Overseas… Read More