This post was submitted by Randal .

This post was submitted by W Pit.

Consumer groups are urging Canadians to keep careful track of their spending this holiday season to avoid running up huge credit card bills at a time when personal bankruptcies are soaring.

January and February are usually the busiest months for debt counsellors after the post-holiday bills arrive on the door mat, leaving many deep in the red after festive spending raced out of control.

“I can’t tell you how many times I hear people says they didn’t realize what they were spending,” said Laurie Campbell, executive director with Credit Canada. “If you are going to use credit, write down every expense. That way when the New Year comes around you are aware where the money went.”

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for retailers, and even though the recession is expected to dampen spirits this year, many consumers may still be tempted to go into debt to fund gifts for friends and family, stretching already strained household finances.

The number of personal bankruptcies in Canada soared in September, gaining 45.5%, according to government data. More than 600,000 Canadian households have a dangerously high debt service ratio of more than 40%, a report from the Vanier Institute found earlier this year. In the past 20 years, the average household income has gained 12%, while debt is up 71%, growing six times quicker than incomes, the report said.

Spending in November and December is expected to be between 2% and 3% higher than the normal monthly average, although it’s hard to say how much of that will be place on credit, according to BMO Bank of Montreal.

So how do you avoid falling into the debt trap?

Credit card companies and consumer groups recommend plotting.

“The best way to avoid post-holiday statement shock is to develop a realistic spending plot,” said Nancy Marescotti, director card marketing, at BMO Bank of Montreal. “Make your plot early in the season before you get too caught up in the excitement of buying gifts.”

Many shoppers also leave things to the last minute, leading to panic buying as the ticking clock cuts down the time available to search for better deals. Shopping online may be one way of avoiding impulse buys and helping consumers stick to pre-arranged budgets.

BMO also warns against being tempted to pay out for extended warranties on products that you don’t need. Many credit cards already offer such guarantees, it said.

If you do buy on credit, try to use one credit card so you can keep track of your spending and pay it off in full by the due date to avoid interest charges.

If spending still gets out of hand, one option may be to reduce your interest charges by grouping all debts into one loan. But, consumer groups warn to stick to reputable banks and don’t be taken in by ads offering to solve your loan problems in return for buying another appliance or gadget.

“If you have a problem and your debt needs to be consolidated, do not do it by entering into an agreement for another major buy,” says Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada.

The Consumers’ Association says this year it is hearing that consumers are likely to rein in their spending and use cash where they can. They are likely to continue to place off major buys as concern about the economy lingers.

Sleep
First and foremost, get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. It resets and recharges your body for the next day and is the first step toward avoiding that mid-afternoon malaise. Getting enough sleep is a challenge for most people, but getting in a solid bedtime habit will go a long way towards a happier, healthier you.

Eat Healthfully
That means between five and six servings of fruits and vegetables daily. (For example, one apple counts as one serving; two cups of carrots equal one serving.) Eating fruits and vegetables guarantees steady sugar levels throughout the day. Those spikes in sugar–and caffeine–are partly what cause the highs and lows of energy. It also means you won’t have low blood sugar levels, which causes people to feel dizzy or like they’re dragging.

Small Meals
Instead of having a large lunch around noon, eat small snacks throughout the day and a small lunch around 2 p.m. Snack on almonds, apples, pears or carrots and hummus. Drink water instead of sugary juice or soda, and limit your caffeine intake. Try to avoid alcohol with lunch as well.

Manage Stress
Instead of sitting throughout your entire lunch break, leave the office and take a 15- to 20-minute walk. It will clear your mind of the day’s stresses and get your creative juices flowing. Even more helpful: Lock your door for 10 to 15 minutes, lie down on the floor and close your eyes. You might not be able to take a quick nap, but clear your mind and focus on your breathing. It will help you regain energy and focus.

Exercise
In addition to taking a few short walks during the day, find a private area to do some squats. They’re a full-body exercise, so they really get the oxygen flowing through the body. First, squat down to the floor, and then as you rise up slowly bring your hands up over your head.

Play Games
Keep Sudoku or crossword puzzles at your desk (hard copy–online is too addictive) for a brief brain teaser that will get you going again. Employers can have a giant jigsaw puzzle in the break area, so employees can do a few pieces as they pass by to recharge.

Happy Notes
Keep some nice notes or photos around your desk that remind you of a happy time, so when you’re sluggish you can pull them out and feel a sense of joy at reminiscing. If it’s a note of recognition from a manager, that’s an especially good way to get motivated.

When we asked a cross-section of Canada’s leading experts on personal finance what they considered the greatest money tips of all time, we figured we would get a half-dozen or so points that would emphasize worthy but boring topics like compound interest or spousal RRSPs.

We were wrong.

Our experts surprised us by telling us in many different ways that money is a deep and emotional topic. One expert put at the top of his list some advice on choosing the right spouse. Another stressed the importance of selectively ignoring your portfolio. Yet another pointed out that your most important investment is your own carcass.

We stand corrected. After sifting through the scores of points that our experts nominated for consideration, we’ve gained a much broader appreciation of how our finances and our lives intersect. And after much discussion, we managed to winnow the collective wisdom of our panel down to 25 points, which we’ve arranged in five major groups — Starting Points, Family Values, Saving & Spending, Investing, and Finding Advice. At the risk of sounding immodest, we think that these 25 points are the best primer we’ve seen on the essentials of personal finance.

1. Money is a tool, not a solution
Bruce Cohen, author of The Money Adviser and co-author of The Pension Puzzle, observes that many people have things backward when it comes to their financial planning. They organize their lives to earn money, rather than using money to live the life they want. “The point of the exercise is not to amass a huge mountain of money, but rather to be able to buy the goods and services you find meaningful,” he says. And that leads him to observe that…

2. How you spend it is more important than how you invest it
Most people equate brilliant money management with great investing and spectacular stock tips. But that’s misleading. Not only is it next to impossible for the average person to outwit the professionals on Bay Street, but all the brilliant investments in the world won’t build your wealth by a cent if you keep spending more money than you make.

The only way — we repeat, the only way — to amass money is to live on less than you generate. We’re not talking deliberate poverty, mind you — just smart spending. You should live within your means and, ideally, a bit below what you could really afford. Incidentally, this strategy has some wonderful side effects when it comes to your peace of mind. “Knowing you can afford to tell your boss to buzz off creates a certain sense of serenity,” says Cohen. And he goes on to note that “financial independence occurs when your savings enable you to meet expenses without having to rely on a regular paycheque. The less you need to live on, the easier — and quicker — it is to become financially independent.”

3. Love your job — or leave it
Like Cohen, Jim Otar, a certified financial planner and author, stresses the need for balance in your life. Few things are more conducive to your happiness, he says, than working at a job you truly enjoy. “If you don’t love your job, start searching right now,” he says. “Don’t stop until you find it — be it halfway around the world or in the basement of your own home.”

As New Agey as it may sound, Otar’s advice reflects some cold, hard number crunching. The numbers show that you would need to build a massive investment portfolio simply to match the income you could receive from even a modestly paid job that you love. Say you can earn $35,000 a year following your bliss—making stained glass, for instance, or working as a fishing guide. That’s equivalent to the annual income you could expect to generate from a $700,000 portfolio of stocks and bonds. So if you’re working hard at something you hate simply to build a huge retirement portfolio, you may want to consider a simpler option — finding something you love to do and working at it until you drop.

4. Put first things first
Malcolm Hamilton, an actuary with Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltd. and one of Canada’s keenest personal-finance observers, urges people to recognize that smart investments don’t consist of just stocks and bonds.

Your health, for instance, is your most important asset, yet few of us treat our carcasses with as much respect as we do our portfolios. When you think about it, that’s a massively misplaced set of priorities. “Take care of your health,” Hamilton advises. “If you don’t, money won’t matter.”

5. Know your spouse
Okay, all the political correctness detectors are going off even as we broach this subject, but one of the things we at MoneySense have noticed over the years is how many of our Family Profiles revolve around couples that are torn apart because they have very different approaches to money — he’s a spendthrift, she’s a saver, or vice versa. If that sounds familiar, we suggest you schedule a time at least once a month to sit down and discuss money matters with your spouse before minor irritations turn into a major crisis. Better yet, if you’re not already married, take money attitudes into account when choosing your partner. “Your spouse can make a big difference in your success or failure,” says financial planner Otar. “When selecting a spouse, let your brain work more than your heart.”

6. Invest in your kids
Hamilton, who in addition to being an actuary is the father of two children, believes that one of the best investments you can make is in your kids. “The rewards — emotional and financial — are huge,” he says. “Few retirement plans will cope successfully with dependent adult children.” If you have school-age children and you’re not already contributing to RESPs for them, maybe it’s time to reconsider. These programs are easy to set up (just go to any chartered bank) and the federal government kicks in free money to bulk up the size of your annual contribution. What’s not to like?

7. Give now
If you’re a senior who is planning to leave money to your kids in your will, Hamilton suggests you think about handing over the cash right now. “Often seniors are earning 3% after tax on GICs while their children are paying 6% after tax on a mortgage. An interest-free loan from parent to child will help the kids more than it hurts the parent.”

8. Talk it over
Several of our experts stressed the need for communication, especially within families and especially when it comes to estate planning. Rather than investing in sophisticated tax-avoidance strategies or spelling out your wishes in elaborate wills, the best and simplest way to avoid problems after your death is to talk things over with all of your kids and other heirs well ahead of time. Ensure that everyone knows how you plan to divvy up your money and why. Answer questions and settle disputes now, rather than leaving them to tear your family apart after you’re gone.

9. Look at all-in costs
Most people don’t consider the real cost of what they buy. They focus on the number that’s on the price tag, but not on how much they have to earn to afford that amount.

The difference can be startling. Say someone offers to paint your house for $1,000. By the time you include various levels of sales taxes, you’re probably paying close to $1,150. Then you have to factor in how much income you need to pay that sum. Assuming you’re in the top tax bracket, you will need to earn an additional $2,100 or so to generate the money required after tax to pay the $1,150 painter’s bill.

Amazing, isn’t it? The real cost of the paint job in terms of your pre-tax income is twice its apparent cost. To put things another way, you could bulk up your income by the equivalent of $2,100 if you grab a brush and do the job yourself. No wonder that the U.S. researchers who wrote The Millionaire Next Door discovered that selfmade millionaires tend to be diehard do-it-yourselfers.

10. Set goals
Building wealth isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon and one of your biggest challenges is staying motivated and on track. That means establishing mileposts and monitoring your progress. Patricia Lovett-Reid, senior vice-president of TD Waterhouse Canada, is a marathon runner herself and knows how important it is to keep your eye on concrete goals that will motivate you. “You are only going to get excited about saving your money if it’s for something of importance to you,” she says. “I recommend that you set short, medium- and long-term goals, then tweak the plan as required.”

11. Emphasize rewards
Financial author Bruce Cohen observes that budgets often fail because people approach them as negative exercises — all the emphasis is on self-deprivation, what you’re not willing to spend money on and what you will do without. A better approach, says Cohen, is to think of a budget as pre-spending and emphasize the objects or experiences that you want to spend money on. “A good budget doesn’t tell you that you cannot have what you want,” he says. “A good budget says, ‘Yes, you can have what you really want’” whether that be a new car or early retirement.

12. Use debt intelligently
Our experts agree that you should never carry debt on a credit card — it’s just too expensive. But after that their opinions on debt diverge. Hamilton, for instance, cautions people to be extremely conservative: “Don’t borrow to contribute to an RRSP unless you can pay the money back in one year or preferably sooner.”

Other experts disagree. “Many people’s attitude and behavior toward borrowing is backwards and it costs them financially,” says author and financial educator Talbot Stevens. He notes, for instance, that most Canadians borrow at expensive, non-deductible interest rates for personal consumption — cars, appliances, vacations, homes, and so on — but pay cash for their investments. He argues that it’s far better from a tax viewpoint to pay cash for consumption items and borrow to invest. The interest on the amount you’ve borrowed to invest will generally be tax deductible. And by paying cash for consumption items you’ll avoid the trap of paying outlandish credit-card rates to purchase things such as electronics or vacations that immediately fall in value.

13. Take the long view
“The power of time and compounding is truly the eighth wonder of the world,” says Lovett-Reid. Most smart financial plans consist of nothing more than a regular practice of putting aside money (ideally through payroll deduction so as to remove temptation), then investing this money in a low-cost, well-diversified portfolio.

The results can be impressive, especially as you add more time to the mix. If you have 20 years to go before retirement and can put aside $200 a month into a portfolio that averages a 7% annual return, you will wind up with $100,000 at retirement. If you have 30 years to go, you will have $226,000.

14. Diversify, diversify, diversify
This is the most important rule of investing, according to actuary Hamilton: “No one really knows what the future will bring. Putting all your eggs in one basket, even a safe-looking basket, is taking a risk you don’t need to take.” Your portfolio should span both stocks and bonds and ideally should include foreign as well as domestic investments. Which brings us to our next point…

15. Plan your portfolio, then stick to your plan
Eric Kirzner, the John H. Watson Chair in Value Investing at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, says investors should develop a strategy for allocating their money among different types of assets. A common mix, for instance, is 10% cash, 50% fixed-income investments (such as bonds) and 40% stocks. More aggressive investors may want to boost the stock component, more conservative investors may want to reduce it. But whatever asset allocation you decide upon, stick to it. Once a year or so, move money around to get back to your original split. This keeps you on track and prevents you from chasing the latest investing fad.

16. Be cheap
Many of our experts made the point that costs matter more than most people realize. “Paying 2% a year for investing advice may not look like much, but 20 years later you’ve lost one third of your investment,” says actuary Hamilton. You can evaluate the cost of a mutual fund by looking at its management expense ratio or MER. Many funds charge 2.5% or more, but you can find many excellent funds with fees of 1.5% or less. So find a good fund with a low fee and neither objective will be compromised.

17. Forget last year
What a fund did over the past year is totally irrelevant to what it will do over the next year. In fact, top performers in one period usually lag behind in the next. As a result, there’s no surer recipe for dismal returns than chasing last year’s winners, says Kelly Rodgers, president of Rodgers Investment Consulting in Toronto. “When choosing a fund or a manager, look for consistency through many years.”

18. Ignore your portfolio — selectively
Smart investors avoid looking at their portfolios too frequently. “Frequent reviews — such as daily — make you overly emotional and they can cause you to make unwise decisions,” says U of T professor Kirzner.

19. Keep it simple
All of this investing advice may sound rather complex. In fact, if there’s one common misperception among investors, it’s the notion that an effective investing strategy has to be complicated, involving a dozen or more mutual funds and constant fine-tuning. None of that is true. “Keep your investment program simple,” says financial author Cohen. “Remember that the financial industry is a fashion industry focused more on selling a never-ending stream of baubles than on helping you build wealth.”

The MoneySense Portfolios offer a smart way to construct a great portfolio in just 15 minutes a year. If they don’t appeal, find a good, cheap balanced mutual fund and funnel your contributions to that fund. (For the names of some good funds, check out Suzane Abboud’s annual mutual fund rankings.) A balanced fund automatically divvies your money up among stocks, bonds and cash so you don’t have to worry about micromanaging your portfolio.

20. Look for the right fit
“The first thing you should ask a prospective financial adviser is to describe the kind of client he or she likes to work with,” says financial author Cohen. “If you don’t fit that description, keep looking.”

21. Understand how your adviser is paid
Many people don’t understand how their adviser makes his or her money, observes financial consultant Rodgers. As a result, they don’t know why an adviser may have a vested interest in churning their account, putting them in myriad funds, or constantly rejigging their portfolio.

To avoid that problem, ask your adviser to put on paper a complete list of all the ways he or she will derive compensation from your account, as well as estimated amounts. This list may include trailer fees paid by mutual funds, it may include upfront fees, it may include separate advisory fees—the possibilities are endless. But only by understanding your adviser’s incentives can you judge whether the advice you are receiving is unbiased.

22. Consider risk
“If your financial adviser says a strategy or investment has ‘little or no risk’,” says financial author Cohen, “ask the adviser to put that in writing.”

23. Ask questions
Rodgers urges investors to quiz any prospective adviser. Ask about his credentials (a Certified Financial Planner designation should be the minimum you settle for); also ask if he is restricted in the funds or investments he can recommend (some firms encourage their advisers to recommend only funds operated by the company or by approved outsiders). Make sure you understand his fee structure — and be aware that nothing is written in stone. If the price for his services strikes you as too high, don’t be afraid to suggest that a discount is in order. Nobody should pay more than 2.5% a year, including mutual fund MERs, for financial advice. If your portfolio tops $500,000 you should be able to negotiate fees of 2.25% or lower and that should fall below 1.5% as your portfolio nears the million-dollar mark.

24. Beware of 10% solutions
Many financial advisers seem to think that history guarantees a 10% annual return from stocks. Not so, says Cohen. “Those statistics reflect index returns that make no provision for fees. Also, much of those historical gains occurred during the 1990s before the big boom went bust.” In today’s environment, counting on a 5% to 7% annual return is more realistic.

25. Write it down
Both Abboud and Rodgers recommend that you and your adviser draw up an investment policy statement that describes your level of investing knowledge. It should also outline your goals in terms of both the returns you want and the risk you will accept.

That’s just the beginning. The statement should go on to list your investment constraints (for instance, whether you need your portfolio to generate regular cash payments) and your unique needs and preferences (such as, for example, not investing in tobacco companies or leaving behind a large bequest for your niece’s education). A good investment policy statement should also state how frequently you and your adviser will meet (once a year should be the minimum) and how you will be kept up to date (by monthly reports mailed to your house, for instance). It should also select a benchmark, such as a stock market index, that the performance of your portfolio will be judged against.

How do you know if your statement is complete? Ask yourself if a new manager who has never met you could, with only that information, handle your portfolio the way you would like. Only if the answer is yes should you be satisfied.

Managing personal finance may not be the easiest job. If you are one of those who manage their finances themselves, you will surely not find this activity as being the most enjoyable in the whole world. It requires a lot of time and attention, but it is indispensable to your or your family’s financial well being. You can find a helping hand here, on our website, where you have the updated information you need in order to do a realistic finance comparison.

A key component for efficient management of your personal finance is financial planning. This dynamic process requires regular monitoring and reevaluation. Otherwise, you risk missing points of evaluation and this could damage your finance control. You should keep under control this circular process by repeated verifications and intelligent manipulation. The following five steps should organize and make your planning easier.

The first step is an assessment of one’s personal financial situation. You will do it by compiling, onto a piece of paper, all the personal assets, income and outcome. You should use a simplified balance sheet for listing the values of personal assets (for instance, car, house, stocks and bank account) along with the values of liabilities (such as credit card debt, bank loan and mortgage). Moreover, you should make sure you list personal income and expenses, on a personal cash flow statement form.

The second and most enjoyable step is setting the goals. With this stage, one should formulate his or her material desires in a financial language. You can set long-term goals can such as retiring at 65 years old with a significant personal net worth. You can also make short-term plans, for example: buying a house or a car by paying a monthly mortgage for 3 years but no more than 25% of monthly income. You can also establish several goals both long and short-term, in the limit of your financial resources.

After setting the goals, you must develop an efficient plan in order to accomplish them. The plan should detail the exact actions that you need to undertake. This is the third and most difficult part of your personal finance management as it asks for thorough research for the most convenient loan, investment or mortgage deals. An easy way to approach this matter is by using the services we offer here, on our site, where you will find thousands of updated offers available for adequate finance comparison. In this manner, you can avoid or diminish planned financial sacrifices such as reducing expenses or increasing your employment income.

Execution of one’s personal financial plan, monitoring and reassessment are the fourth and, correspondingly, fifth steps in efficient personal finance management. Discipline and perseverance are necessary for accomplishing this part of the plan. As time passes, conscious fulfillment of every action included in the financial plan must associate with continuous monitoring and reassessment until the fulfillment of the financial plan.

Managing your personal finance has never been easier. With access to all the pieces of information you need, you can do a realistic finance comparison and you can develop a more efficient personal financial plan. Here, we offer you the possibility to compare thousands of offers on credit card, loans, insurance and investment deals in UK and not only.

Here, on our website, you will find accurate information on all credit card, loans, insurance and investment deals you can use for an efficient finance comparison. Personal finance management has never been so accessible.

There exist many a definition, I want to share with you  my personal finance definition:

Financial freedom is not an event, it is a skill.

I bet right now with the current economic situation you are saying to yourself, “I just wish I could the lotto!”  Boy don’t we all and yet statistics and personal finance facts show that the majority of people who win the lottery, end up broke and worse off before their winnings! Imagine that.  You among the many seeking wealth, riches, fame few people realize that money isn’t the solution to their problems;  the way you think about money is the problem and the solution.

I can almost see you going oh yeah, give me the money and I’ll show you change in mindset!

My favorite entrepreneur of all times, Henry Ford was once asked, “What if you lost everything you own?” He responded without missing a beat: “I’d have it all back and more within 5 years.”

Being a master of your own personal finance is not about what is in the bank; it’s about the ability to acquire the skill that will show you how to produce new streams of income and wealth based on your knowledge and experience.

So before we go any further on this issue let us tackle the real problem here that is impeding your personal finance for good!  Why you might ask?  Well without the mastery of these 5 steps, your desire for your goal for financial success and financial freedom is highly unlikely!  This is why big players in any industry have coaches, Oprah has a life coach, football players and basketball players have coaches and mentors.  Tiger woods after every bad game will go in for coaching and training.  Why?  Those who achieve great financial success do not go it alone.  They always have a team.  Those who achieve great poverty have the do it yourself mentality!

Why is it important to plan personal finances?

5 Steps That Will Guarantee You Become Master Your Personal Finances

1. How do you think about money? Say you come up with an idea to do something. Do you think that will never work?  Are you afraid to follow through?  Are you scared of loosing money or do you see every dollar spent as an investment?

2. How do you manage and invest your time?  The average man has at his disposal  6 discretionary hours.  This is time they can do whatever they want.  No work, no chores etc.  Many will watch T.V., attend pricey sports events, spend money on meals at a restaurant and movies, see where I am going with this? Do you do personal finance budgeting?

3. How do you leverage the talents and life experiences you ALREADY POSSESS?
Most people see their experiences as failures.  They only talk of how they tried to do something as failed.  Thomas Edison failed more than I care to count, and yet he persisted to light the whole world. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas A. Edison

4. Do you have a mentor and/or coach with a proven personal finance curriculum? This is the true measure of your desire for financial freedom.  This is where you literally put your money where your mouth is, can’t afford a mentor you say?  Well what was the last book you read? Gossip magazines do not count as literature sorry ?!

5. What do you think is “risky,” and what do you think is “safe and secure”?  Most people never break into the realm of the 5% wealthy group who own 95% of  the worlds resources because they want to play it safe.  They want the money, the fame, the accolades but they feel they should not have to go through the process of creating this wealth.  No wonder the internet and other places are full of scams and get rich quick opportunities.  Remember this success does not  happen overnight, but one night success does happen.  Someone once said to me, it takes 3 years to be an overnight success!

CIBC of tax and estate planning expert Jamie Golombek are 10 tips to make the most of your tax return and enjoy any tax relief available before ringing in the new year.

“It is important to review your overall tax planning strategy with a professional now and make sure you make the most of every opportunity available to you.

This is particularly important because of new savings and investment vehicles, funds and policy changes which came into force for the first time in 2009, Golombek advises.

1 – Lose your losses

Tax-loss selling is the practice of selling investments that are in a deficit position at the end of the year to offset capital gains realized during the previous three years. The deadline for transactions in government securities generally falls on or before December 24.

2 – Make home sweet home

2009 has brought a host of tax benefits to owners and prospective owners. Canadians should consider changes to the Plan (HBP) and their eligibility to non-refundable First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit (HBTC). Anyone considering a home renovation has until January 2010 to receive a maximum credit of $ 1350 tax by the temporary home renovation tax credit (HRTC).

3 – Enter the golden years

People who turned 71 in 2009 have only until December 31 to make their last registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) before converting the plan into Registered Retirement Income Plan (RIFF).

4 – Look and learn

Flexibility has been enhanced recently registered education savings plan (RESP) were added and now provides investors with opportunities to supplement their savings with a number of government grants.

5 – Give generously

December 31 is the last day to donate to a registered charity and receive a tax credit for 2009.

6 – Know your deadlines

All Canadians eligible for the tax credit for people with disabilities, their parents and other eligible donors have until December 31 to contribute to a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and ask for matching Canada Disability Savings Grant ( SCEI) and based on the Revenue Canada Disability Savings Bond (CDSB) for 2009.

7 – purchase for your business

Self-employed or small business owners should consider making major purchases planned for 2010, as new equipment or office furniture before the end of 2009 to take advantage of the depreciation of a full year. And other temporary special 100% write-off for new computer equipment is now available.

8 – Divide your income

Thank you to all interest rates historically low, it is time for couples to consider income splitting. The idea is to transfer income from higher paid spouse paid a minimum to reduce taxes. Any return on investment greater than 1% can then be taxed to the spouse with lower incomes.

9 – You can pay up

Pay distribution fees at year end. Interest paid on loans for investment purposes as well as fees for investment advisory accounts not to RRSPs are deductible from your income for 2009, but only if the costs are paid by December 31.

10 – Be proactive

Apply to pay less tax every year by completing Form T1213 to the CRA before December 31. Once approved, your employer will be able to reduce the amount of tax withheld at source, taking into account deductions such as RRSP contributions or expenses for childcare.