Next Steps Planning with IPC Securities

11/02/2026

November is Financial Literacy Month in Canada 📋

Before the year-end rush, give your money a 30-minute checkup:

✓ TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) — know your contribution room before you move money
✓ RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) — contributions in the tax year or in the first 60 days of the following year can count for that tax year
✓ RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan) — check whether you've captured this year's grant room
✓ Giving — donations made by Dec 31 count for this tax year
✓ Budget — set your holiday spending limit before December sets it for you

One small step this week beats a December scramble. Which one will you start with?

Source: Financial Literacy Month (FCAC (Financial Consumer Agency of Canada)): https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/campaigns/financial-literacy-month.html

10/28/2026

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada 🛡️

YOUR BEST DEFENSE IS YOU

In a world where AI can make phishing emails and scams look more real than ever, the small habits still make the biggest difference:
✓ Pause before you click, reply, or share — especially when a message feels urgent
✓ Turn on multi-factor authentication on your financial and email accounts
✓ Use strong, unique passwords — and a password manager if that helps you keep them straight

Your accounts hold more than money — they hold your identity, your documents, and your family's future plans. A few minutes setting up those defenses now can save a very difficult phone call later.

And one habit worth carrying past October: talk about it. Share what you've learned with family — especially older loved ones — and report scams when you spot them. That's how a community gets safer, one person at a time.

Source: Get Cyber Safe, Cyber Security Awareness Month: https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/cyber-security-awareness-month
— Marie Phillips, Insurance and Wealth Advisor | Next Steps Planning
Wealth Advice provided under Next Steps Planning with IPC Securities Corporation.

10/20/2026

Since my last commentary, the tension facing investors has become clearer. The economy continues to absorb higher energy costs and trade uncertainty, while the AI investment cycle supports spending and earnings. Yet the cost of capital is rising, several major central banks are tightening again, and...

10/19/2026

Turning 71 this year?
The biggest mistake? Doing nothing and letting December sneak up. Let's review your options before year-end — reply or book a chat.

Turning 71 this year? Your RRSP can't stay an RRSP.

By December 31 of the year you turn 71, the CRA requires you to convert it—usually to a RRIF, an annuity, or cash (and pay the tax).

Here's how a RRIF works, in plain language:
• Minimum withdrawals: Starting the year after you open it, you must withdraw a minimum each year. At 71, it's 5.28% of the balance, and the percentage rises as you age.
• Tax: Every dollar you withdraw counts as income that year.
• Withholding tax: Amounts above the minimum get taxed at source — 10% up to $5,000, 20% up to $15,000, 30% above that. (The minimum itself isn't subject to withholding.)
• Good news: No maximum. Take more whenever you need it.

The biggest mistake? Doing nothing and letting December sneak up. Let's review your options before year-end — reply or book a chat.

10/12/2026

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁

Today we're thankful for family, friends, and good food — and for the wonderful clients who trust us with their financial journeys.

Wishing you a day full of gratitude and great company.

— Marie Phillips, Insurance and Wealth Advisor | NextStepsPlanning Inc.

10/09/2026

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! 🍁
This coming Monday, October 12, we gather around the table — but did you know Canadian Thanksgiving has its own story?

It began in 1578, when explorer Martin Frobisher held a feast at Frobisher Bay (present-day Nunavut) to give thanks for surviving his Arctic voyage — 43 years before the Pilgrims' famous dinner. Parliament made it official in 1879, and since 1957 we've celebrated it on the second Monday of October, right at harvest time.

Today I'm grateful for my clients and the trust you place in me every day.

Wishing you and yours a table full of good food and even better company.

— Marie Phillips, Insurance and Wealth Advisor | NextStepsPlanning Inc.

Source (history claims):
The History of Thanksgiving in Canada — Canada's History
https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/the-history-of-thanksgiving-in-canada

10/08/2026

Snowbirds: single-trip or multi-trip? 🏖️

Heading south for the winter? The right travel insurance depends on how you travel:
Single-trip — one policy for one getaway. Simple, best for one big trip a year.

Multi-trip annual — covers unlimited trips for 12 months (each trip up to a set number of days). Often cheaper if you cross the border several times.
Snowbird essentials:
• Match your coverage days to your actual stay — don't get caught short
• Confirm your provincial plan stays valid while you're away (most provinces require you to be present a minimum number of days per year)
• Disclose pre-existing conditions honestly — non-disclosure can void a claim

Booking your winter escape now? Sort the insurance before you sort the sunscreen. ☀️

https://nspinc.ca/travel

10/07/2026

Turning 71 soon?
You must convert your RRSP by December 31 of that year, and the choices you make now will affect your taxes for years.

Contact us today for your RRIF Conversion Checklist: a plain-language guide to converting a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) in Canada.

Marie Phillips, Insurance and Wealth Advisor.
Wealth Advice provided under Next Steps Planning with IPC Securities Corporation.

10/05/2026

🍎 Happy World Teachers' Day! 📚

Today, October 5, we celebrate the teachers who shape our future — one student at a time.

We've observed World Teachers' Day every October 5 since 1994, marking the anniversary of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers. It has Canadian roots: Canadian teacher leader Norman Goble of the Canadian Teachers' Federation championed the idea.

This year's theme says it perfectly: "Thank You for Brightening Our Future."
To every teacher who sparked curiosity, built confidence, and believed in a student — thank you. 🙏



— Marie Phillips, Insurance and Wealth Advisor | NextStepsPlanning Inc.