McBride Wealth Management

05/28/2026

Do you have a will, or do you have an estate plan? Most successful business owners have a will. Far fewer have a comprehensive estate plan. These are not the same thing, and the difference can cost your family hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A will directs who receives your assets after you die. An estate plan is a coordinated strategy that protects, transfers, and minimizes taxes on those assets throughout your lifetime and beyond. This month’s article covers the five most common gaps I see in business owner estate plans, from outdated beneficiary designations to insufficient life insurance for tax liabilities.

Click the link to read the article and discover what might be missing from your plan. https://brev.is/UZU4j

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.

05/25/2026

When your most valuable asset is your business, what happens to it when you die?

In Canada, when you die, the tax law treats you as having sold all your capital property at fair market value immediately before death. For business owners, that can trigger a massive tax bill. If your estate lacks the cash to pay it, your executor may be forced to sell the business under time pressure, often at a significant discount.

Permanent life insurance provides the liquidity to address this directly. A corporately owned policy can fund terminal taxes, cover shareholder buyout obligations, and equalize inheritances between children who are active in the business and those who are not, all without forcing a sale.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.

05/21/2026

Before summer, ask yourself these four estate planning questions.

Are your RRSP, RRIF, and TFSA beneficiary designations current and consistent with your will? Is there an up-to-date shareholder agreement governing what happens to your shares on death or disability? Has an estate freeze been reviewed in light of your current business valuation? Does your life insurance adequately reflect the tax liability your estate would face at death?

If any answer is uncertain, an estate planning review is the right next step. These gaps are fixable, but they need to be identified before they become a problem.

Reach out to me directly at the [email protected] to book a complimentary estate planning consultation.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.

05/15/2026

Planning to pass your business to the next generation? An estate freeze might be one of the most powerful tools you’re not using.

An estate freeze lets you lock in the current value of your business for tax purposes while allowing all future growth to accrue to your successors, typically on a tax-deferred basis. With the lifetime capital gains exemption now at $1.25 million for qualifying shares, a couple can shelter over $2.5 million in gains from tax.

But here’s the catch: the structure must be in place well ahead of any triggering event like a sale or death. Unrealized gains left unaddressed will compound, as will the tax liability that accompanies them.

Click the link below to learn how an estate freeze works and whether it makes sense for your situation.

https://brev.is/bavU5

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.

04/29/2026

The lifetime capital gains exemption shelters $1.25 million in tax-free gains for qualifying small business shares. For a couple who both own shares, that’s over $2.5 million in protected wealth.

But to qualify, your shares must meet strict tests: the company must be a small business corporation at sale, you must have held shares for at least 24 months, and more than 50 per cent of assets must be used in active business. These tests are technical, and many business owners discover they don’t qualify only when they’re ready to sell.

The post-tax planning window is the right time for a formal LCGE eligibility assessment. If you own shares in a qualifying small business and haven’t had this reviewed, you could be leaving significant wealth on the table.

Book a consultation at mcbridewealthmanagement.ca/contact

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management.

04/24/2026

The tax return is done. Now what? For most Canadians, filing the return is where the planning stops. That’s a missed opportunity. The weeks after tax filing are one of the most productive windows of the year because you now have verified data about what actually happened in 2025.

Your tax return tells you what happened. A strategic post-tax review tells you what to do next.

The April edition of Wealth Foundations walks through how your Notice of Assessment reveals planning gaps, introduces The Retirement Blueprint Vol. 2 on wealth protection, and covers the three post-tax questions worth asking before the planning window closes.

Read the April edition here: https://mailchi.mp/2446cbbc89ca/feburary-2026-wealth-foundations-your-retirement-blueprint-is-here-18165750

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management.

04/22/2026

Unused RRSP room isn’t just a missed deduction. It’s a deferred tax shelter that should be deployed strategically, not passively.

Your Notice of Assessment shows your available RRSP contribution room. For many high-income Canadians, this number has been accumulating for years. The key is timing those contributions to coincide with your highest-income years rather than using the room gradually over decades.

If you’re preparing to sell your company, nearing peak earning years, or expecting a significant payout, accelerating RRSP contributions now can generate substantial tax savings. The post-tax planning window is the right time to assess whether your carryforward strategy is working for you or leaving money on the table.

Learn more at mcbridewealthmanagement.ca

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management.

04/17/2026

Your tax return is more than a receipt. In the right hands, it’s a diagnostic tool that reveals the strengths and gaps in your wealth plan. Most Canadians file their return, feel relieved, and move on. But if you’re a business owner, professional, or high-income earner, your Notice of Assessment shows critical planning opportunities that won’t be visible again until next year.

This month’s Wealth Sense article walks through three areas where your 2025 tax return reveals planning gaps: RRSP carryforward room and when to deploy it strategically, capital gains planning and the lifetime capital gains exemption for business owners, and whether you’re holding the right income in the right accounts.

Read the full article at https://www.mcbridewealthmanagement.ca/after-the-t4-using-tax-season-insights-to-strengthen-your-wealth-plan

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management.

04/13/2026

“My group benefits cover disability, so I’m fine.”

That’s one of the most common assumptions I hear from professionals, and it’s usually wrong in ways that matter.

Most group long-term disability plans replace 60 to 70 per cent of your income, often capped at a level well below what senior professionals and business owners actually earn. If you’re incorporated or self-employed, you may have no group coverage at all. And even if you do, group coverage typically ends at 65, right when you retire, leaving no bridge to protect the final years of wealth accumulation.

Individual disability insurance with an own-occupation definition fills these gaps. It replaces income at a level calibrated to your actual earnings, not a generic cap, and it protects your ability to continue building retirement wealth rather than liquidating it.

If you haven’t had your coverage reviewed as part of your retirement plan, now is the time.

Book a complimentary consultation at mcbridewealthmanagement.ca

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management.

04/11/2026

This week’s economic calendar: Mixed signals from the U.S. labor market.

March job growth posted its largest gain in 15 months, but beneath the surface, warning signs are building. The labor force shrank to its lowest level since COVID, wage growth slowed to its weakest pace since 2021, and the average workweek declined.

Meanwhile, the Iran conflict is pushing business input costs to their highest levels in over three years, with the ISM services price index hitting 70.7. Gasoline prices have topped $4 per gallon for the first time since 2023.

For investors, these shifts matter. A tighter labor force, rising energy costs, and Fed rate cut expectations being slashed in half all affect portfolio positioning.

Read this week’s economic report: https://www.mcbridewealthmanagement.ca/weekly-economics-report-april-10-2026

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. McBride Wealth Management

U.S. job growth rebounds but labor force shrinks to lowest since COVID. Services sector cools as Iran conflict drives input prices to 3.5-year high.