New Seasonal Books (Finance) - March 2009


 

 

Smart Tax Tips by Karen Yull

With more than 150 practical tax tips on everything from alimony and asset transfers to RRSPs and charitable donations, this book will help you design a strategy to maximize your return.

Special features of this completely updated edition for 2009 include:

  • New tax measurements introduced in the 2008 Federal Budget
  • New Tax-free Savings Account
  • New tax tables for Federal and Provincial Income Tax Rates and Credits for 2008
From business owners, to corporate managers, to individuals of all income levels, Grant Thornton advisers have been providing smart, effective tax strategies to Canadians for more than 60 years.

 

The Taxman is Watching by Paul and Philippe DioGuardi

Since 2004, when Revenue Canada became an independent agency, more and more Canadians have been under tax surveillance. As the pressure to collect more tax dollars grows, any Canadian taxpayer can be at risk for a secret "lifestyle" audit or become caught in one of numerous tax infractions. The trick is to know how CRA works and, at the same time, learn the simple and effective strategies - both offensive and defensive - to avoid tax traps and protect your home and other important assets. This is the guide that every tax-paying Canadian, including the self-employed, small business owners and investors, should read. The Taxman Is Watching delivers accurate, accessible and often little-known information, as well as real-life "Tales from Tax Hell." It also:

  • debunks the common myths about the Canada Revenue Agency
  • shows you the "red flags" that may cause your return to be audited or re-assessed
  • helps you protect your assets and fight back
  • offers practical advice on when to get a tax lawyer
  • tells you what to do when your accountant isn't your friend

 

When Can I Retire? : Planning Your Financial Life After Work by Andrew Allentuck

When Can I Retire? offers you a compass through the maze of alternatives, provides worksheets to estimate retirement budgets and income flow, discusses the tax consequences of particular choices, and even shows how you can live with a Canadian pension in Mexico, Israel, Panama, and other foreign countries.

 

You Can't Take it With You by Sandra E. Foster

Since it was fist published ten years ago, You Can’t Take it With You has been a trusted source of advice on estate planning, and it is more relevant today. As the Canadian population ages, so grows the need for thorough, careful and flexible estate planning. Author Sandra Foster explains the often-complicated business of estate planning in one of the few guides independent of any financial institutions. The result is a consistently top-rated and unbiased title that remains personal in tone, even when explaining technical issues. Perhaps most importantly, the information is expressly for Canadians and written by a leading expert in Canadian finance and estate planning.

 

 

How to Pay Less and Keep More for Yourself by Rob Carrick


Canadians are savvy consumers of everything – except financial products. We comparison shop for new cars and new clothes, but when it comes to our money, most of us passively hand it over to banks and other institutions. The result? Our earnings languish in bank accounts that pay out zero interest while raining down fees, or in mutual funds that make more money for the people running them than for investors.

This book is the remedy: written especially for Canadians, it is the definitive guide to getting the best possible deal on everything from savings accounts to mortgages to RRSPs. Rob Carrick puts the key information in the reader’s hands through comparison charts, rankings and easy-to-follow tables, as well as good old-fashioned advice. He explains how to construct a banking profile, where to find the best bargains in financial services, how online banking and investing is changing everything, and much more.

 

Money Management for Canadians by Heather Ball

Looking to expand your knowledge of money management? This all-in-one resource is the tool you need. From dealing with debt and setting financial goals to starting a small business and planning your estate, this indispensable desk reference is bursting with sound financial advice. Our Canadian financial experts offer the insight you need for making first-class money-management decisions.

  • Setting financial goals — determine your money personality and set a financial course that works for you
  • Getting yourself out of debt — tackle credit problems and expense issues to set yourself on the right path
  • Buying and selling a home — get the home of your dreams for the best price and sell your house easily and profitably
  • Understanding investing essentials — explore your options to make the most of your money
  • Building wealth through stocks, bonds, and mutual funds — buy the most profitable investment vehicles no matter what the economic climate
  • Planning your retirement — build your RRSPs to enjoy a comfortable retirement free from money worries
  • Readying your estate — ensure that your estate is properly managed and safe from taxes
  • Starting a small business — set out on an entrepreneurial adventure with everything you need to be successful

 

 

The Smart Canadian's Guide to Saving Money by Pat Foran

Canadian consumers are focused on spending and managing what money they do have wisely, but have more questions than answers on most financial topics. Television personality and consumer advocate Pat Foran shares tips and strategies about the questions and issues he sees most often, and explains how some little things can soon add up to a lot of money. Some of the topics covered include: 

  • Credit and loyalty cards, and what kind of deal they really are
  • How much insurance is enough – and what kinds do most people need?
  • How to shop for a vehicle, and if it’s worth it to import from the US
  • Mortgages, tax breaks, and other complicated financial decisions
  • Getting the most bang for your buck, whether while shopping or travelling

 

 

After the Crash : How to Guard Your Money in These Turbulent Times by Garth Turner

The news has been a disaster: stock markets have tanked; losses in pensions, RRSPs and savings mount. Choked-up credit markets have made bank loans and mortgages more expensive. A recession is costing jobs and sideswiping family finances. House values are plunging across Canada. How did we get into this mess? What does the future look like? What can I do to protect myself? To protect my investments and my family? Financial expert Garth Turner answers each and every question you might have in this up-to-the-minute guide to everything you will need to know to deal with the fallout. This isn’t crystal ball incantation or eye-glazing academic mumbo jumbo. It’s straight talk from an expert on what you can do to safeguard your investments…and your future. After the Crash is essential reading for everyone looking for a guide through our troubled times.


 

 

Smoke and Mirrors : Financial Myths that Will Ruin Your Retirement Dreams by David Trahair

This book will give Canadians the ammunition they need to fight back against the scare tactics and rule of thumb selling methods used by many banks and financial planners to suck money out of your pockets every day!

 

The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett

Inspired by an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show on personal finance, the Smart Cookies, five dynamic young women who weren’t always so savvy about money, formed a "money club," and together developed strategies for turning their financial lives around – without surrendering their sanity or their social lives.

In this guide, the Cookies demonstrate how women of all ages can achieve financial security. They share their own stories, offer easy-to-follow steps, and lay out simple plans for meeting any goal, whether it’s eliminating debt, making good investments, becoming a smart spender or saving up for a big-ticket purchase.