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April 17th – 2 weeks till Taxes are due – have you filed yet?  In today’s letter, we will share with you 2 things:  1 - Where to get recommended tax software  2 - Where to find more information about deductions and tax credits  Where to get recommended tax software:  Electronic filing programs must be certified and approved by the CRA. Here are 3 great programs, starting with my favorite:  1. Studio Tax – this is the program I often use - it’s 100% free and easy to use!  http://www.studiotax.com/  2. Turbo Tax – free right now, but will be $15.99-19.99 on April 23.  https://turbotax.intuit.ca/personal-tax-software/cra/ty17/free-download-b.jsp?cid=cra_fy18_ttd_e_cra_desktop_free 3. H&R Block - Offer a free program but you will end up paying at least $17.99 per return https://www.hrblock.ca/online-tax-software/  Where to find more information about deductions and tax credits:   The best place to find all the deductions to g...

Your biggest expense in life is taxes! If you learned how to reduce the taxes you pay, what would you do with your huge return?  • Invest?  • Buy that boat?  • Finish off your home renos?  • Have a down payment for your new home?  • Travel and enjoy your family vacation?  • or simply get rid of that high interest debt?  Taxes are not just your biggest expense, they are also hindering, sometimes stopping you from accomplishing your goals and dreams in life!  Email steve@yourfinancialpotential.ca if you would like to learn how to reduce your taxes and start dreaming again. Make sure to ask for a free copy of "Wake up and Smell the Tax Savings" and the soon to be released "Your Financial Potential: East Coast Edition" Stephan MacLellan  Mutual Fund and Insurance Representative Suite 402, 6080 Young St Halifax, NS B3K 5L2 Email: steve@yourfinancialpotential.ca Cell: (902) 240-6508 www.maritimesuccess.com UPCOMING ...

Did you have Big, Hairy and Audacious (BHA) Goals at the beginning of the new year? How are you doing with your new year resolutions? If you are like me and the majority of Canadians – life, reality, unexpected obstacles, stalls and Murphy intervened. :-/  The new you starts in Q2!  Hit “reset”, begin anew, become that new and improved version of yourself.  Wouldn’t you agree, one of the best ways to improve your life, so you can focus on what is important, would be to drastically reduce your biggest expense? Or as we say in the Maritimes, drop kick it in the neck!! Do you know what your biggest expense in life is? Well, it’s most likely TAXES!!  There are several ways to reduce your taxes and  now is great time to start!   When investing, RRSPs and TFSAs are effective, especially when properly managed. But the best and most effective way to reduce your taxes ,  increase your income and help you reach your BHA Goals is….  star...

Recently, we discussed why people are afraid of money, now we will discuss how to feel good about saving money and creating wealth.  First of all, to feel good about money, you must realize you are its master!   You control what money does and can do - very few realize this.  Money often controls the person and their beliefs what they can and can not do, but not you, not any more. Saving and Investing is a habit, and as most know, good habits are hard to start.  Example:  Exercise and eating healthy are hard to start, but become routine and enjoyable once a habit, same with saving and investing. Here's 3 tips to start the good habit of saving and controlling your $$ which will make you feel good: 1) Pay yourself first .  Invest at least 10% of whatever income you make.  If you make $100 per paycheck, invest $10, if you make $5000, invest $500 and so on. Do this on payday or better yet, have it come off you paycheck directly an...

If you’ve ever avoided looking at your bank account, if you’ve ever panicked about your finances, if you’ve been immobilized by indecision, or if you’ve overspent yourself into debt ... you’re afraid of money.  When asked what I do for a living – I used to respond  “I help families save and protect their money”  with a nice smile. As soon as I said the word “money” I would usually see instant fear in the person’s eyes and body language. Why, in a society where we idolize athletes and movie stars who get paid the big bucks, are most people afraid or uncomfortable about talking about money? Research and from my experience, it comes down to 3 things: 1) Media – fear sells. Guaranteed on the news in the next few weeks - stories about CRA and “wealthy” people penalized for trying to reduce their taxes. Who’s the villain in most movies and what are they trying to get?  2) Our upbringing – media has also influenced how were raised and raise our children. ...

Most likely the biggest lifetime expense you will encounter is TAXES.  If you invested $1,000 each year in a tax-sheltered plan for 30 years at 10% interest it would you give you just under $165,000!  That would be exciting result from your money that was yours all the time, but it also means that the $30,000 (30 years times $1,000) produced $135,000 of compound interest that the government was getting instead of you.  Do you feel they deserve it?  Then why let them use it? March 1st is the last day to contribute to your RRSP to receive a deduction in your 2017 income taxes.  Would you rather pay the government your money or would you like to invest in yourself? If you would rather invest in yourself and learn more, I'd be happy to send you "Wake Up and Smell the Taxes" - a book that I read back in 2008 that "woke me up!", for FREE. Simply email smaclellan02febc@wfgmail.ca to receive "Wake up and Smell the Taxes" by The Canadian Financ...

Happy New Year - I hope your new year is off to a great start! When thinking about the new year consider this – time can never be regained. Last year is gone. It's what we do this year that counts now.  2018 will the year of many great things! We will continue to work hard to ensure a solid financial future for families across the Maritimes and beyond.   Education is the first step, and that's where you come in -  what would you like to learn more about?  Your feedback is important and will influence the topics of this biweekly newsletter. Post your ideas below Bitcoin? MJ stocks and other investments? How $$ works? Insurance Tips? Leadership? New Careers? Trends for 2018? How to control time and income? Budgeting tips? Taxes and how to reduce them? RRSP vs TFSA? PK Subban? This newsletter will be educational and beneficial but better yet, let's get together to discuss your strategy for putting time on y...

www.maritimesuccess.com Did you know there's 55 days left in 2017?  Actually, this article was written yesterday, so there's 54.  54 days to achieve your annual goals!   Remember, the ones you made back in January? Most managers and people will lower their annual goals in order to achieve them, but not you - you are going to 10X your efforts to achieve that big, hairy, audacious goal!! A goal without a plan is simply called a dream.  Here are some tips to help you reach your year end goals, by starting with a simple plan and then 10X your efforts to get 'er done! Relationship Goal:   Read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.  You and your spouse will thank me when you do. Fitness Goal:   Start simple.  Eat an apple a day.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Floss. Financial Goal:   Christmas is just around the corner.  Avoid putting all those gifts on credit and start an inves...

Summer is here!!  Woot Woot!  What's your favorite summer activity? One of my all time favorite summer activities! Boating? Swimming? Fishing? Camping? Bonfires? BBQ's? Ensuring Financial Success? Wouldn't you agree that all your summer activities would be even more fun if you were financially independent?  Would your favorite activity be more enjoyable if you knew you were working towards your financial goals at the same time?  Imagine hanging out with friends and family while camping, at a BBQ, or catching that big fish and actually becoming wealthier, your net worth increasing instead of decreasing! True success is not only having wealth.  Focusing on wealth, health, AND relationships: the Trifecta will lead to true success .  Relationships and health generally increase during the summer months, unfortunately, wealth for most, decreases.   The reason for this decrease is not what you may think - it's not because of th...

Congratulations!!!  Welcome to parenthood!   Everyone reacts differently to this phase of life.  We were shocked by how much unconditional love we had for our children when they entered the world – who else would you throw yourself in front of a bus for?  When Rowen, our first born arrived, we unwisely threw $10K into a scholarship RESP out of pure emotion.  5 years later that $10K is now $9373 due to fees and charges.  I’m writing this article so you don’t make the same mistakes we made, and to ensure you that there are several ways to save for your child’s success, even if post-secondary school is not in the cards.  If you are lucky enough to have $10k, there's a better way to invest than we did, but even $50 - $100/month can make a HUGE difference!! Option #1 – RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan) – Growth Plan Pros:   Government matches 20%, 30% or 40% and investment can take advantage of compound growth. Catch : Grant...

The struggle is real here in Atlantic Canada, and so is the need for the services that my team provides at Your Financial Potential  ( www.yourfinancialpotential.ca ).   We help families and professionals of all walks of life by ensuring they have the proper insurance protection, save $$, and help focus on what is truly important - family/relationships, health, and wealth. Let me introduce myself.  My name is Stephan MacLellan, my friends call me Steve.  Three years ago, my wife, almost two year old son, and one month old daughter returned to Nova Scotia for a promising career as the foremost hydraulic fracturing expert in Atlantic Canada.  My motivation to move back was personal:  my heart has always been in the Maritimes and looked forward to making the province we loved even better - a place where our children would grow up as Bluenosers, AND STAY to contribute to its’ growth and prosperity.  As fate would have it, 8 months after moving ...