My name is Mark Goodfield. Welcome to The Blunt Bean Counter ™, a blog that shares my thoughts on income taxes, finance and the psychology of money. I am a Chartered Professional Accountant. This blog is meant for everyone, but in particular for high net worth individuals and owners of private corporations. My posts are blunt, opinionated and even have a twist of humour/sarcasm. You've been warned. Please note the blog posts are time sensitive and subject to changes in legislation or law.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Tax Loss Selling (or for 2016 - Tax Gain Selling?)

In keeping with my annual tradition, I am today posting a blog on tax loss selling (or as per paragraph 3, maybe tax gain selling this year). I am doing it again because the topic is very timely and every year around this time, people get busy with holiday shopping and forget to sell the “dogs” in their portfolio and as a consequence, they pay unnecessary income tax on their capital gains in April.

Additionally, while most investment advisors are pretty good at contacting their clients to discuss possible tax loss selling, I am still amazed each year at how many advisors do not discuss the issue with their clients. So if you have an advisor, ensure you are in contact to discuss your realized capital gain/loss situation and other planning options (if you have to initiate the contact, consider that a huge black mark against your advisor).

For full disclosure, there is very little that is new in this post from last year's version; however, there is one issue I wish to discuss. I have had a few calls from clients asking whether they should sell their stocks with unrealized gains this year, instead of selling their stocks with unrealized losses. They are asking this question because they are worried the 2017 Federal budget may change the inclusion rate on capital gains from 1/2 to 3/4 as rumoured in the last budget.

I will provide you the same answer I provide them. I cannot tell you what to do. The Liberals have not clearly stated they intend to do such and thus, any change appears to be conjecture. However, given the Liberal's clear intention to tax the "rich", such a change would not be surprising, though many "middle class" taxpayers would also be affected. So you have to roll the dice either way.

Many people persist in waiting until the third week of December to trigger their capital losses to use against their current or prior years capital gains. To avoid this predicament, you may wish to set aside some time this weekend or next, to review your 2016 capital gain/loss situation in a calm methodical manner. You can then execute your trades on a timely basis knowing you have considered all the variables associated with your tax gain/loss selling. As the markets have been strong this year, you hopefully will have only a few stocks with unrealized capital losses you can sell to use the losses against capital gains reported the last 3 years. Alternatively, you may want to trigger a capital loss to utilize against capital gains you have already realized in 2016.

I would like to provide one caution in respect of tax loss selling. You should be very careful if you plan to repurchase the stocks you sell (see superficial loss discussion below). The reason for this is that you are subject to market vagaries for 30 days. I have seen people sell stocks for tax-loss purposes, with the intention of re-purchasing those stocks and one or two of the stocks take off during the 30 day wait period and the cost to repurchase is far in excess of their tax savings. Thus, you should first and foremost consider selling your "dog stocks" that you and/or your advisor no longer wish to own. If you then need to crystallize additional losses, be wary if you are planning to sell and buy back the same stock.

This blog post will take you through each step of the tax-loss selling process.

Reporting Capital Gains and Capital Losses – The Basics


All capital gain and capital loss transactions for 2016 will have to be reported on Schedule 3 of your 2016 personal income tax return. You then subtract the total capital gains from the total capital losses and multiply the net capital gain/loss by ½. That amount becomes your taxable capital gain or net capital loss for the year. If you have a taxable capital gain, the amount is carried forward to the tax return jacket on Line 127. For example, if you have a capital gain of $120 and a capital loss of $30 in the year, ½ of the net amount of $90 would be taxable and $45 would be carried forward to Line 127. The taxable capital gains are then subject to income tax at your marginal income tax rate.

Capital Losses


If you have a net capital loss in the current year, the loss cannot be deducted against other sources of income. However, the net capital loss may be carried back to offset any taxable capital gains incurred in any of the 3 preceding years, or, if you did not have any gains in the 3 prior years, the net capital loss becomes an amount that can be carried forward indefinitely to utilize against any future taxable capital gains.

Planning Preparation


I suggest you should start your preliminary planning immediately. These are the steps I recommend you undertake:

1. Retrieve your 2015 Notice of Assessment. In the verbiage discussing changes and other information, if you have a capital loss carryforward, the balance will reported. This information may also be accessed online if you have registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.

2. If you do not have capital losses to carryforward, retrieve your 2013, 2014 and 2015 income tax returns to determine if you have taxable capital gains upon which you can carryback a current year capital loss. On an Excel spreadsheet or multi-column paper, note any taxable capital gains you reported in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

3. For each of 2013-2015, review your returns to determine if you applied a net capital loss from a prior year on line 253 of your tax return. If yes, reduce the taxable capital gain on your excel spreadsheet by the loss applied.

4. Finally, if you had net capital losses in 2014 or 2015, review whether you carried back those losses to 2013 or 2014 on form T1A of your tax return. If you carried back a loss to either 2013 or 2014, reduce the gain on your spreadsheet by the loss carried back.

5. If after adjusting your taxable gains by the net capital losses under steps #3 and #4 you still have a positive balance remaining for any of the years from 2013 to 2015, you can potentially generate an income tax refund by carrying back a net capital loss from 2016 to any or all of 2013, 2014 or 2015.

6. If you have an investment advisor, call your advisor and request a realized capital gain/loss summary from January 1st to date to determine if you are in a net gain or loss position. If you trade yourself, ensure you update your capital gain/loss schedule (or Excel spreadsheet, whatever you use) for the year.

Now that you have all the information you need, it is time to be strategic about how to use your losses.

Basic Use of Losses


For discussion purposes, let’s assume the following:

· 2016: realized capital loss of $30,000

· 2015: taxable capital gain of $15,000

· 2014: taxable capital gain of $5,000

· 2013: taxable capital gain of $7,000

Based on the above, you will be able to carry back your $15,000 net capital loss ($30,000 x ½) from 2016 against the $7,000 and $5,000 taxable capital gains in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and apply the remaining $3,000 against your 2015 taxable capital gain. As you will not have absorbed $12,000 ($15,000 of original gain less the $3,000 net capital loss carry back) of your 2015 taxable capital gains, you may want to consider whether you want to sell any “dogs” in your portfolio so that you can carry back the additional 2016 net capital loss to offset the remaining $12,000 taxable capital gain realized in 2015. Alternatively, if you have capital gains in 2016, you may want to sell stocks with unrealized losses to fully or partially offset those capital gains.

Identical Shares


Many people buy the same company's shares (say Bell Canada) in different accounts or have employer stock purchase plans. I often see people claim a loss on the sale of their Bell Canada shares from one of their accounts, but ignore the shares they own of Bell Canada in another account. However, be aware, you have to calculate your adjusted cost base on all the identical shares you own in say Bell Canada and average the total cost of all your Bell Canada shares over the shares in all your accounts. If the cost of your shares in Bell are higher in one of your accounts, you cannot pick and choose to realize a loss on that account; you must report the average adjusted cost base of all your Bell shares, not the higher cost base shares.

Creating Gains when you have Unutilized Losses


Where you have a large capital loss carryforward from prior years and it is unlikely that the losses will be utilized either due to the quantum of the loss or because you are out of the stock market and don’t anticipate any future capital gains of any kind (such as the sale of real estate), it may make sense for you to purchase a flow-through limited partnership (be aware; although there are income tax benefits to purchasing a flow-through limited partnership, there are also investment risks and you must discuss any purchase with your investment advisor). 

Purchasing a flow-through limited partnership will provide you with a write off against regular income pretty much equal to the cost of the unit; and any future capital gain can be reduced or eliminated by your capital loss carryforward. For example, if you have a net capital loss carry forward of $75,000 and you purchase a flow-through investment in 2016 for $20,000, you would get approximately $20,000 in cumulative tax deductions in 2016 and 2017, the majority typically coming in the year of purchase. Depending upon your marginal income tax rate, the deductions could save you upwards of $10,700 in taxes. When you sell the unit, a capital gain will arise. This is because the $20,000 income tax deduction reduces your adjusted cost base from $20,000 to nil (there may be other adjustments to the cost base). Assuming you sell the unit in 2018 for $18,000 you will have a capital gain of $18,000 (subject to any other adjustments) and the entire $18,000 gain will be eliminated by your capital loss carry forward. Thus, in this example, you would have total after-tax proceeds of $28,700 ($18,000 +$10,700 in tax savings) on a $20,000 investment.

Donation of Flow-Through Shares


Prior to March 22, 2011, you could donate your publicly listed flow-through shares to charity and obtain a donation receipt for the fair market value ("FMV") of the shares. In addition, the capital gain you incurred [FMV less your ACB (ACB is typically nil or very low after claiming flow-through deductions)] would be exempted from income tax. However, for any flow-through agreement entered into after March 21, 2011, the tax benefit relating to the capital gain is eliminated or reduced. Simply put (the rules are more complicated, especially for limited partnership units converted to mutual funds and an advisor should be consulted), if you paid $25,000 for your flow-through shares, only the gain in excess of $25,000 will now be exempt and the first $25,000 will be taxable.

So if you are donating flow-through shares to charity this year, ensure you speak to your accountant as the rules can be complex and you may create an unwanted capital gain.

Superficial Losses


One must always be cognizant of the superficial loss rules. Essentially, if you or your spouse (either directly or through an RRSP) purchase an identical share 30 calendar days before or 30 days after a sale of shares, the capital loss is denied and added to the cost base of the new shares acquired.

Disappearing Dividend Income


Every year I ask at least one or two clients why their dividend income is lower on their personal tax return. Typically the answer is, "oops, it is lower because I sold a stock early in the year that I forgot to tell you about". Thus, if you manage you own investments; you may wish to review your dividend income being paid each month or quarter with that of last years to see if it is lower. If the dividend income is lower because you have sold a stock, confirm you have picked up that capital gain in your calculations.

Creating Capital Losses-Transferring Losses to a Spouse Who Has Gains


In certain cases you can use certain provisions of the Income Tax Act to transfer losses to your spouse. As these provisions are complicated and subject to missteps, you need to engage professional tax advice.

Settlement Date


It is my understanding that the settlement date for Canadian stock markets in 2016 will be December 23rd (The U.S. exchanges may be different). Please confirm this date with your broker, but assuming this date is correct, you must sell any stock you want to crystallize the gain or loss in 2016 by December 23, 2016.

Summary


As discussed above, there are a multitude of factors to consider when tax-loss selling. It would therefore be prudent to start planning now, so that you can consider all your options rather than frantically selling via your mobile device while waiting in line with your kids to see Santa the third week of December.

This site provides general information on various tax issues and other matters. The information is not intended to constitute professional advice and may not be appropriate for a specific individual or fact situation. It is written by the author solely in their personal capacity and cannot be attributed to the accounting firm with which they are affiliated. It is not intended to constitute professional advice, and neither the author nor the firm with which the author is associated shall accept any liability in respect of any reliance on the information contained herein. Readers should always consult with their professional advisors in respect of their particular situation. Please note the blog post is time sensitive and subject to changes in legislation or law.


Monday, November 21, 2016

The Top 10 Estate Planning Mistakes

I think it is fair to suggest, that most of us wish to plan our estates to minimize any income tax and probate fees owing upon our passing. Yet, many of us do not seek professional assistance to deal with the various technical income tax, probate planning and "soft family" issues that must be considered when dealing with our estates.  As such, we often end-up eroding our estates because of unanticipated tax obligations and significant legal costs when family members litigate the estate. Today, Neil Milton an estates expert discusses the Top 10 Estate Planning Mistakes he observes in his practice.


The Top 10 Estate Planning Mistakes

By Neil Milton


There are many widely held myths and misconceptions about wills, probate and estates. These myths and misconceptions lead to estate planning mistakes. These mistakes can cause a lot of damage – both to your wallet and to relationships with family members. In this blog we have gathered 10 of most common and yet easily avoided estate planning mistakes.

1. Not Having a Will

The rules for how an estate is divided in Ontario when there is no will (intestate succession) can have some shocking consequences. Remarkably few people are aware that if you die without a will:
  • Your common law spouse inherits nothing. Zero. (They might have a claim for support, but that is a very different thing).
  • If you are separated but not divorced from a spouse, your legally married, they will inherit the bulk of your estate (The first $200k + a healthy chunk thereafter).
  • If you are legally married and not divorced, your parents and siblings get nothing.
  • If you have ‘step children’ that you have not legally adopted, they get nothing.
Everyone adult should have a will. If you do not have a will, get one now (74% of Canadians do not have an up-to-date will).

2. Do It Yourself Wills

Sure you can save $500 by doing your own will, but that does not mean you should. You can also do your own dental surgery. For both wills and dental work, the results of DIY are rarely satisfactory and often very expensive to fix.

3. Joint Accounts to Avoid Probate Tax

Do not put your investments or bank accounts in the name of one of your adult children to avoid probate tax without proper advice. You may save probate, but you may trigger significant income tax consequences. In addition, you may create a lot of grief and legal fees to fix the mess where the child whose name you put on the account, claims it for their own and the other children sue.

4. Joint Ownership of Houses to Avoid Probate Tax

Do not put one of your adult children on title to your house (“joint tenancy”) to avoid probate tax without very careful proper planning and documentation. You can create income tax issues and unless you document in writing your intention to give the house as a gift to that child to the exclusion of your other children, you do not save probate tax and you create lots of misery and a legal fee bonanza.

5. Assuming Your children get Along


Do your children really get along? Are they really facing similar financial circumstances and stresses? Many children have serious issues with their siblings. Do not assume that just because they are your children that they trust or work well with each other. This is particularly relevant to your choice of executor.



6. Choosing an Executor who is Not Up to the Job

Being an executor is a difficult job, not an honour. Good executors are a rare breed. They are prudent but decisive, can handle conflict (especially among beneficiaries), are attentive to detail, communicate well, are financially savvy, enjoy accounting and taxes, and must complete, send and receive many letters and forms. An ideal executor is tech savvy, and can scan, print, and email at will.

Your favourite caregiver may be a wonderful person, but that does not mean they will be a good executor. Being an executor is a hard job and you should provide for reasonable compensation (“pay peanuts, get monkeys” applies here). Also consider aging – your executor must be able to perform when the time comes, which may be a long time from now. At the very least, you should have an alternate if the primary choice is unable to act.

I strongly recommend that you consider using a professional to handle this complex job at a pre-agreed fair rate of compensation (which does not have to be a flat 5%).

See Mark's post on the duties of being named an executor for more information.

7. Putting Your Executor in a Conflict of Interest

Enormous trust is placed in an executor, and it is very difficult to force an executor to act at all or decently. If you do not trust someone absolutely to behave quickly, properly and fairly as between all beneficiaries, do not appoint them at all. Too many executors have massive conflicts of interest between their interests and the interests of other beneficiaries, and these conflicts were created by the testator.

For instance, if one child lives with you in your home, and you name that child your executor, they have a clear conflict between their desire to stay in the house as long as they can and to avoid paying rent, versus their obligation to sell the home and distribute the estate. It is unfair to them and the other beneficiaries to put them in this awkward spot – choose an executor without a conflict of interest.

8. Hedging Your Bets With Multiple Executors

Being an executor is a hard enough job without having to chase a co-executor for approval and signatures on everything. In most cases you should choose one person as your primary executor, and name an alternate. Do not name co-executors because you don’t trust one or you are too indecisive to choose between them.

9. Not Thinking Gifts Through or Keeping Them up to Date

Just because someone is your child does not mean that they will outlive you. You need to plan for contingencies. Similarly, if you appoint someone a trustee of funds for a minor child, make sure that they are willing and able to handle the task, and will be able to for the duration of the trust – if a trust for a child might last 20+ years, do not name someone who is already in their 70s as the trustee.

10. Not Giving Enough Away Sooner or to Charity

Gifts of things or experiences to your loved ones (to support their education, or travel for instance) while you are alive often have a much bigger impact on the recipients than lump sums of cash when you pass away (See Mark's blog post on Family Vacations. Meaningful gifts to mark milestones like graduation often get remembered much longer than cash inheritances. See Mark's blog post on Family Vacations for how meaningful and fulfilling a family vacation can be.

Even modest gifts to charity can have a big impact on the intended charity. Gifts to charity teach your values to your family. Also, a gift to a charity can create a legacy that is shared among your survivors giving them a common bond and remembrance of you that the same amount of cash, divided among them as inheritance, can never have. Lastly, there are tax benefits for gifts to charity.

Estate law is complex because life is complex. There are often many options, and choosing the options that are best for you and your family depends on your unique circumstances. We strongly recommend that you get advice from an expert in the field who can help you weigh the options, choose a desired outcome, and get there efficiently.

Neil Milton is an experienced estates lawyer who advises estate trustees (executors) and beneficiaries on all aspects of probate, guardianship, and estate administration, and helps resolve estate-related disputes. Miltons Estates Law has offices serves clients across Ontario from offices in Ottawa and Toronto, and provides a wealth of free information and eBooks on its website www.ontario-probate.ca. Feel free to contact Neil directly at nmilton@miltonsip.com or 1.866-297-1179 ext 224

Please note that this post is based on Ontario law. If you live outside of Ontario, it is strongly recommended that you consult with an estates lawyer licensed to practice in your province.

The above blog post is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind. Readers are advised to seek specific legal advice regarding any specific legal issues.

This site provides general information on various tax issues and other matters. The information is not intended to constitute professional advice and may not be appropriate for a specific individual or fact situation. It is written by the author solely in their personal capacity and cannot be attributed to the accounting firm with which they are affiliated. It is not intended to constitute professional advice, and neither the author nor the firm with which the author is associated shall accept any liability in respect of any reliance on the information contained herein. Readers should always consult with their professional advisors in respect of their particular situation.

Monday, November 14, 2016

The Nest

In February, 2012, I wrote on the taboo topic of whether it is morbid or realistic to plan for an inheritance. In the blog post, I noted that I had observed over my career, a couple people living beyond their current means, on the assumption they would inherit money at a later date. Their future inheritance would be the fix for their current overspending and excessive debt.

In the circumstances I witnessed, the inheritances were actually received as hoped for/expected by the children when their parents passed away. I noted in the post that I had yet to observe a circumstance where a planned inheritance had been less than what the beneficiaries expected and that is still the case to date.

Thus, when searching for a book to read last summer, I was intrigued when I saw The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney on The New York Times Best Sellers List. The Times described the book as “Set in New York, The Nest features four neurotic siblings who are squabbling over their inheritance and struggling with the disappointments of middle age. Their joint trust fund, which they call “the nest,” is jeopardized when Leo, the hard-partying black sheep of the family, gets in a drunken-driving accident with a teenage waitress in the passenger seat”.

While the book may not be one of my all-time favourites, this satire about the dysfunctional Plumb family was definitely an entertaining read. More Magazine said this about the book “Few things are more compelling than looking into the interiors of other people’s lives-and finding a truth or two about our own. In Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s wickedly funny novel THE NEST, four midlife siblings squabble over their inheritance; universal questions about love, trust, ambition, and rivalry roil.”

As I do not want to give away too much about the book should you decide to read it, I will just note a few of the interesting concepts Ms. D’Aprix highlights:

1. How a known inheritance can impact current day living.

2. How future plans are premised on the known inheritance.

3. The desperation that ensues when a planned inheritance is jeopardized.

4. How family dynamics can be improved or worsened through the process.

5. Money is not everything.

Retrospective


In my "morbid or realistic" blog post I had the following conclusion:

“Is it morbid to plan for an inheritance? Clearly, it is. Would most people rather have their parents instead of the inheritance? Yes. This topic is a very touchy subject and an extremely slippery slope, but to ignore the existence of a significant future inheritance that would impact your personal financial situation may be nonsensical. However, if your financial planning takes into account a future inheritance, you should ensure you have discounted that amount to cover the various risks and variable that could curtail your inheritance and be extremely conservative in your planning”.

I still feel that in situations where there is a high certainty of an inheritance (significant family assets, strong family bonds, etc.) it is nonsensical to ignore the inheritance in your planning.

However, in other less certain cases, I think Preet Banerjee (whom I quote in the postscript) has it right. He says "There are enough variables affecting your own financial success. Ideally, you shouldn’t bank on an inheritance in your financial plan, but rather treat it as an unexpected windfall”.

This site provides general information on various tax issues and other matters. The information is not intended to constitute professional advice and may not be appropriate for a specific individual or fact situation. It is written by the author solely in their personal capacity and cannot be attributed to the accounting firm with which they are affiliated. It is not intended to constitute professional advice, and neither the author nor the firm with which the author is associated shall accept any liability in respect of any reliance on the information contained herein. Readers should always consult with their professional advisors in respect of their particular situation.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Family Dynamics & Estate Planning - Mostly Money Mostly Canadian Podcast

Mostly Money, Mostly Canadian -  with Preet Banerjee

I was recently interviewed by Preet Banerjee for his Mostly Money Mostly Canadian podcast. In lieu of writing a blog post today, I am linking to the podcast here, so you can listen to me for 25 minutes waxing eloquently on topics such as family dynamics, estate planning, the family cottage, personal use property such as art and collectibles and even my bucket list. Here is the link.

I think the interview is pretty good (if I do say so myself) and if Preet had recorded the first run instead of forgetting to push the start button on his recording device, it would have been even better :)

All joking aside, Preet is one smart guy, a terrific speaker and writer and a sort of a Dos Equis most interesting man in the world type of guy. He even started out trying to be a Race Car driver and somehow ended up in the financial service industry. Talk about a downturn in your career.

If you follow personal finance, you will know Preet from his TV appearances on the CBC's National, as a Bottom Line Panelist and/or The Lang and O'Leary Exchange, his writing for The Globe and Mail and Money Sense Magazine or as the host of the TV Show Million Dollar Neighborhood (well actually not sure if anyone watched it, so maybe you don't know him from there). Preet's most recent book Stop Over-thinking Your Money! The Five Simple Rules of Financial Success was a Canadian best-seller.

Finally, you may wish to check out and subscribe to his U-tube Channel, Money School which is informative and often amusing.

Wow, I am exhausted just writing about all the things Preet does, to be young again. Anyways, enjoy the podcast and check out some of Preet's work.

This site provides general information on various tax issues and other matters. The information is not intended to constitute professional advice and may not be appropriate for a specific individual or fact situation. It is written by the author solely in their personal capacity and cannot be attributed to the accounting firm with which they are affiliated. It is not intended to constitute professional advice, and neither the author nor the firm with which the author is associated shall accept any liability in respect of any reliance on the information contained herein. Readers should always consult with their professional advisors in respect of their particular situation.