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Self-Counsel Press is pleased to announce our support for Editor-in-Chief, Kirk LaPointe, who has officially been declared the NPA candidate for Mayor of Vancouver.

Kirk's nomination comes as no surprise to those of us who know and respect him. His accessible, collaborative leadership style, alongside his power to inspire, educate and engage...

Many people going through divorce get to a point where they wonder how their finances are going to hold up. Splitting up can sometimes mean splitting a salary between two entirely separate households, and if other child support, maintenance, and/or alimony issues are involved, things can become even tougher. Moving can also mean needing to purchase entirely new household staples such as sets of dishes or a couch, if your ex got to keep the ones you had before. ...

When I first heard the words “tax haven,” like many Canadians my immediate reaction was, “aren’t those illegal?” Certainly, the connotation seems to be that tax havens are places that enable you to hide money from the government and therefore from taxation, so they must be shady operations. Actual laws and rules surrounding tax havens aren’t always common knowledge, and the unknown can be worrisome.

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If you have considered saving and investing for a certain goal, such as a house, a child’s education, or your own retirement, you’ve undoubtedly wondered the best way to go about it, and whether or not an investment advisor would be worth the, ahem, investment.

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Bankruptcy is an involved process in Canada, and though you don’t lose literally everything at the time of declaring it, it can take months of dealing with a bankruptcy trustee, selling things off, and living on the bare minimum to be in the clear and get that fresh start. If you are considering bankruptcy, there are a few things you should bear in mind before signing everything over to cover your debts.

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True Story - when a British Columbia landlady saw a news story about a couple of so-called 'deadbeat tenants' who had been evicted five times in the past two years for paying little or no rent., she recognized the photo in the news. To her horror, she has just rented her house to that same couple!

Then, their first rent cheque bounced.

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Our US Tax author Scott M. Estill celebrates Americans finding their life partner with ten ways to maximize your financial union at tax time. This is part 2, to find his first five tips, see Part 1.

6. Conscious Coupling

It may be easier for you and your spouse to itemize tax deductions after marriage given that you both can combine your deductions if you file a joint tax return. These deductions include charitable donations, state and local taxes, mortgage...

Our US Tax author Scott Estill celebrates Americans finding their life partner with ten ways to maximize your financial union at tax time.

1. When to do your I do’s

For tax purposes, your marital status is determined as of December 31, 2014. As such, it is possible to time the marriage to produce the lowest possible tax results (i.e. should we marry in 2014 or 2015).

2. What’s in a name change?

If either spo...

Our US Tax author Scott M. Estill walks Americans through five ways that being divorced will improve your tax outlook in 2014. If your conscious uncoupling is getting closer to finalizing, you can take these tips all the way to the bank this year.

Timing is everything

You can wait until December 31, 2014, to determine your tax filing status for 2014. As such, a divorce finalized on New Year's Eve will have the same effect as one filed on New Year's Day (for tax purposes). You may thus be able to determine the approximate tax liabilities late in 2014 to consider what...

UPDATED 2014