The Indian Railways Recruitment Board (RRB) has released the much-awaited RRB Group D Recruitment Notification for 2024, creating significant buzz among job aspirants across the country. Offering a substantial number of vacancies, this recruitment drive provides a golden opportunity for candidates looking to secure a stable government job in the railways sector. In this comprehensive…
In a bid to address Canada’s soaring housing costs, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has proposed a significant policy shift: eliminating the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) on new homes priced below $1 million. This proposal, unveiled against the backdrop of Canada’s intensifying housing crisis, promises to provide financial relief to aspiring homeowners and invigorate…
Is the 2024 Biden budget proposal dead on arrival? Key Points The 2024 Biden budget proposal faces significant opposition in Congress, making its passage unlikely. Key elements of the proposal include tax increases on high-income earners and corporations. The budget proposal aims to address the deficit but has been met with strong resistance from Republicans….
House committee releases 845 page report on January 6th attack on the Capital Key Points The House Committee released an 845-page report detailing the events and findings of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The report includes evidence of coordinated efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Key figures involved in the…
The Auditor General of Canada has found that $27 billion in suspicious COVID-19 payments have been made. Executive summary: The Auditor General of Canada has found that $27 billion in suspicious COVID-19 payments have been made The government has said that it will work to recover any overpayments The opposition has called for an investigation…
CRA has launched formal consultations to streamline the reporting of payroll Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has launched formal consultations to streamline the reporting of payroll information for the purpose of supporting businesses and employees. Executive summary: The government of Canada has launched formal consultations to streamline the reporting of payroll information The consultations are aimed…
Canadian families expected to pay more for groceries in 2023 Executive Summary: Canadian families can expect to pay an additional $1,065 for groceries in 2023, according to a new report. The report, which was released by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, found that prices for meat, vegetables, and fruits are expected to rise…
Despite actual property values falling BC property assessments up Executive Summary British Columbia property assessments are up from last year Market values have shifted due to the pandemic Assessor is asking people to review their assessments and contact the office with any questions British Columbia property owners are receiving their assessments for 2021 and the…
Canadian debt levels reaches new high Key points: Equifax Canada has released its Q3 debt report, showing that the average Canadian’s non-mortgage debt has reached a new high of $22,837. The report also shows that the number of Canadians with a credit score of 600 or lower has increased by 4.3% since last year. Meanwhile,…
Does the global financial system have an $80 trillion debt problem? Executive summary: The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has issued an urgent call for central banks to take coordinated action to prevent a potential global currency crisis. According to BIS, the world economy is facing an unprecedented situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and…
Canadian Job Market Sees Growth in November Key Points The Canadian job market experienced significant growth in November, with an increase in employment across various sectors. Unemployment rates in Canada remained stable, indicating a robust labor market despite economic uncertainties. Job gains were seen in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and professional services. The positive…
Canada National Dental Benefit – Everything you need to know Key Points The Canada National Dental Benefit aims to provide dental care coverage for children under 12 from low- and middle-income families. The program offers up to $650 per child annually, depending on household income and family size. Eligible families can apply for the benefit…
What you need to know about the new Canada Housing Benefit program Key Points The Canada Housing Benefit Program provides direct financial assistance to low-income renters across Canada. Eligibility for the benefit is based on income and rent levels, with funds aimed at reducing housing costs for vulnerable populations. The benefit is administered through provincial…
Stats for American living and travelling to Canada Key Points Over 1 million Americans live in Canada, attracted by opportunities, healthcare, and proximity to the U.S. Approximately 15 million Americans visit Canada each year, making it one of the top travel destinations for U.S. citizens. Canada offers various visa options for Americans, including work permits,…
Quebec just announced a $500 “counter inflation” payment, will other Governments follow suit? Today the government of Quebec announced a one-time “counter-inflation” payment to Quebec residents that earn less than $100,000 in an effort to help Quebecers navigate an increasingly high inflationary environment. $3.2 billion will be spent on the one-time $500 payments to Quebec…
President Biden’s Financial Plan and Your 401(k) Among the numerous changes to individual taxes that President Biden is proposing to pass into law in the first months of his term are some changes to the 401(k) plan that could significantly change retirement financial planning. According to reports, the most important changes will include: The current…
Update: Biden’s Tax Plan Although incoming-President Biden will come into office with control of both the House and Senate, the margins in both chambers are razor-thin. The bottom line: passing his proposed tax increases on corporations and individuals making over $400,000 annually might not prove a bit tougher than expected. As explained in a previous…
Second Stimulus Checks and President-Elect Biden’s COVID Relief Plan How quickly things can change in Washington. Just weeks after a months-long stalemate was broken with the approval of a $900 per individual second stimulus payment, incoming-President Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID relief proposal that will provide direct payments of $1,400 per person and…
IRS Guidance on Second Stimulus Payments The US treasury and the IRS have recently released some guidance on the second stimulus payment. I’ll outline a summary of these updates below: Overview The IRS and the Treasury Department expects the first American taxpayers to receive their payments starting this week. Taxpayers are not required to request…
Update: Details of Second Stimulus Package Announced With the second stimulus package expected to be passed by Senate on Monday, December 21, and passed into law soon after that by President Trump, the details are becoming clearer on the payment levels Americans can expect: Stimulus payments: The new package includes $600 stimulus checks per adult…
Update: Corporate America joins in call for second stimulus package deal With the progress of the so-called compromise package bogging down in recent days, there is growing concern that a second stimulus package will even get a vote on the Senate floor before the holiday hiatus. A key focus of the current stalemate is a…
Update: Second Stimulus Package Compromise Proposal Gains/Loses Traction Thursday, December 3, opened with a report that outgoing President Trump acknowledging that he would sign a coronavirus relief package if Congress can broker a deal in the coming weeks after months of partisan-driven deadlock. “I want it to happen, and I believe they’re getting very close…
Update: President-elect Biden’s Views on a Second Stimulus Package With a first-ever pandemic holiday seasoning drawing nearer every day, there is no real change in the second-stimulus stalemate that has drawn on for months now. Deep partisan divisions in both the House and Senate continue to hold sway even as new coronavirus cases top 200,00…
Update: Second Stimulus Package and Payments As we all recover from Thanksgiving dinner and look ahead to the holiday season, discussions around the second stimulus package continue. However, a decision (and second stimulus payment) is far from imminent. Here is a brief update of what might be ahead as we move toward 2021. Recap Treasury…
The New Citizen Naturalization Test The oral exam that immigrants to the U.S. must complete to receive their citizenship just got more complicated. On Friday, November 13, officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed plans to implement the revised version of what is known as the naturalization civics test. The oral test…
Update: Second Stimulus Package As we enter the second week of October, a decision on a second stimulus payment is far from imminent. But here is a brief update of what you might watch for in the days leading up to Election Day: On Wednesday, September 30, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offered a $1.62 trillion…
Update: Banks, Criminals, and Dirty Money In my blog on September 21st, I detailed the recent flurry of regulatory posturing and reactions to the leak of 2,657 documents known as the FinCEN files. Briefly, as BuzzFeed News (BFN) summarizes: “The FinCEN Files expose an underlying truth of the modern era: The networks through which dirty…
Banks, Criminals, and Dirty Money With the recent leak of 2,657 documents known as the FinCEN files, a spotlight is again on the relationship between international banks, Russian oligarchs, and the laundering of dirty money. The leaked documents reveal how some of the world’s largest banks took part in cleaning about $2 trillion. Feeling more…
A Second Stimulus Round: How it Will Happen and When to Expect It Although the number of Americans decreased slightly in the past week, the pressure on individuals and families running out of benefits under the CARES Act only increases as the economy continues to grind toward recovery. And the recovery itself might not be…
How Can Americans Abroad Register and Vote in the Upcoming Elections? It is difficult to get an accurate sense of how many American citizens are living abroad at any time; however, rough estimates by the U.S. State Department estimates suggest that the number is in the range of 9 million citizens. Putting this number in…
Expat Tax and Financial Planning Newsletter To keep up to date on Expat Tax and Financial Planning issues make sure to subscribe to our newsletter above. We look forward to hearing from you! [wd_hustle id=”4″ type=”embedded”/] Archive of previous newsletters below: November 21, 2020 Hi everyone First, I want to thank everyone that provided feedback…
Disney Enjoying Increased Revenue amid Potential Fox Deal While Disney’s fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue were stronger than expected, the company’s long-term outlook may ultimately depend on its highly-anticipated video streaming service (set to debut in 2019) and whether it can close a deal for assets belonging to Twenty-First Century Fox, according to analysts. In…
Startup “Sarwa” Bringing Innovation to Investment Planning The idea for Sarwa – a new low-cost wealth management firm which uses computer-generated algorithms – came to its co-owners after seeing numerous associates in the United Arab Emirates fall victim to fraudulent investment plans which benefited brokers at the expense of investors. Mark Chahwan, a Canadian entrepreneur…
Manitoba Investment Adviser Fined $485K for Stealing Wife’s Funds Gennaro Scerbo, a former investment adviser who worked for a branch of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg, has been fined $485,000 – the largest fine in Manitoba’s history – by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). Scerbo is accused of making “fraudulent withdrawals from…