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Marty Coulas Insurance Agency Ltd.

Marty Coulas Insurance is a Canadian insurance and financial services company. We specialize in building custom insurance and financial plans for Business Owners, Incorporated Professionals and Families. We are independent – no bank or insurance company owns or controls us. This means we always work in the best interest of our clients.

We provide diverse, leading-edge insurance and wealth management solutions that protect our clients, their businesses and families. Putting our clients first is what makes us different.

Insurance

Peace of mind for you and your family. Taking care of what matters most.

Investments

Grow your wealth. Feel confident in your finances.

Business Owners

Strategies to help increase your personal cash flow, keep key employees and protect your business.

Professionals

Tailored solutions to help you with your practice and personal cash flow.

Marty Coulas Insurance Agency does a great job keeping our rates low for our company’s employee benefit plan. They have gone to great lengths to fully explain our options and find us the best solutions for our needs. We can’t thank them enough for all their hard work and for providing great service.

Latest News

Ontario 2023 Budget Highlights

On March 23, 2023, the Ontario Minister of Finance delivered the province’s 2023 budget. Our article covers the highlights as follows: • Corporate tax credits. • Indirect tax changes. • Increased healthcare options. • Supporting communities. • Supporting the economy and infrastructure.

Do you have enough for retirement?

Many of us dream of the day that we can retire and have the time to ourselves that we have dreamed of for so many years. But, to have a genuinely contented and relaxing retirement, you need to ensure that you have the means to afford it. So, now's the best time to consider the three critical stages of retirement planning. 1) Accumulation 2) Pre-retirement 3) Retirement

TFSA versus RRSP – What you need to know to make the most of them in 2023

When looking to save money in a tax-efficient manner, Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSA) and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) can offer significant tax benefits. The main difference between the two is that TFSAs are ideal for short-term goals, such as saving for a down payment on a house or a vacation, as its growth is entirely tax-free, while RRSPs are more suitable for long-term goals such as retirement. When comparing deposit differences, TFSAs have a limit of $6,500 for the current year, while RRSPs have a limit of 18% of your pre-tax income from the previous year, with a maximum limit of $30,780. In terms of withdrawals, TFSAs have no conversion requirements and withdrawals are tax-free, while RRSPs must be converted to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) at age 71 and withdrawals are taxed as income.

2023 Financial Calendar

Welcome to our 2023 financial calendar! This calendar is designed to help you keep track of important financial dates and deadlines, such as tax filing and government benefit distribution. You can bookmark this page for easy reference or add these dates to your personal calendar to ensure you don't miss any important financial obligations.

2022 Year End Tax Tips and Strategies for Business Owners

The end of 2022 is quickly approaching – which means for business owners, it's time to review tax tips and strategies to maximize your benefits.

2022 Personal Year-End Tax Tips

The end of 2022 is quickly approaching – which means it’s time to get everything in order, so you’re ready when it comes time to file your taxes. We’ve broken this article into the following sections to make it easy to find the tax tips you’re looking for: • Investment considerations, including how to best contribute to TFSAs, RRSPs, and RDSPs. • Families, including how to claim childcare expenses and make the most of RESPs. • Retirees, including essential details about applying for CPP and OAS.

Life Insurance after 60- is it necessary?

You may have had life insurance for as long as you can remember. You knew it was important to make sure that your family would be taken care of and be able to pay their bills if anything happened to you. But now that you’re over 60, your children are grown, and your mortgage is paid off, you may feel you don’t need life insurance anymore. However, there are some circumstances under which it may still make sense for you to have life insurance: • You still have substantial debt. • You have dependent children or grandchildren. • You want to be able to leave a financial legacy.

Salary vs Dividend

As a business owner, you have the ability to pay yourself a salary or dividend or a combination of both. In this article and infographic, we will examine the difference between salary and dividends and review the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Five Steps to Investment Planning

An investment advisor can help you figure out what the right investment choices are for you. The five steps to investment planning are: • Meeting your investment advisor • Determining your goals and expectations • Developing your investment plan • Implementing your investment plan • Monitoring the plan The sooner you start planning for retirement, the sooner you can get there! An investment advisor can help you get there quicker.

Don’t lose all your hard-earned money to taxes

It’s essential to manage your tax planning properly – both while you are living and for after your death. You want as much of your money as possible to go to your beneficiaries, not the government. Our article contains three tips to help you do that: 1. Learn how to make the most of the lifetime capital gains exemption. 2. Figure out ways to decrease your end-of-life tax bill. 3. Look into Immediate Financing Arrangements.

Five Ways To Withdraw Money From Your Business In A Tax-Efficient Manner

You have worked long and hard to build up your business, and now you are ready to withdraw money from your business' bank account. But you don't want to get hit with a huge tax bill. So here are 5 ways to withdraw money from your business in a tax-efficient manner.

The Six Steps to Financial Planning

A certified financial planner is trained to focus on all aspects of your finances – everything from your taxes to retirement savings. The six steps to financial planning are: • Meeting your financial planner • Determining your goals and expectation • Reviewing your current financial state • Developing a financial plan • Implementing a financial plan • Monitoring the plan A certified financial planner will develop a plan that works for you both today and in the future.

Estate Freeze

No business owner likes to think about handing over their business they've built from the ground up. But the fact of the matter is, you will have to do it eventually. Even more concerning, what if you were to become ill or incapacitated? Making a decision of this magnitude during trying times would not be ideal. For the business owner, an estate freeze can be an integral part of your estate planning strategy. The purpose of an estate freeze is to lock-in (freeze) the value of the business, freeing the successor from the tax liability that may arise should the business' value increase.

2022 Ontario Budget Highlights

On April 28, 2022, the Ontario Minister of Finance delivered the province's 2022 budget. It's focused on five different pillars: • Rebuilding the economy. • Better jobs and bigger paycheques. • Building highways and critical infrastructure. • Keeping costs down. • Investing in health care. Budget 2022 includes no changes to personal or corporate tax rates.

2022 Federal Budget Highlights

On April 7, 2022, the Federal Government released their 2022 budget. Our article contains highlights of the various financial measures in this budget, divided into these sections: • Housing • Alternative minimum tax • Dental care • Small businesses • Tradespeople • Canada Growth Fund • Climate • Bank and insurer taxes

2021 Income Tax Year Tips

It’ll be time to file your 2021 taxes soon, and you must take advantage of every tax credit and deduction that you can. Our article includes information on a variety of subjects you need to know about, including what to do if you’ve had to repay COVID-19 benefits, how to plan ahead if you’re self-employed or retiring soon, and what you need to know if you have a home office or employer-provided benefits.

2021 Income Tax Year Tips

It’ll be time to file your 2021 taxes soon, and you must take advantage of every tax credit and deduction that you can. Our article includes information on a variety of subjects you need to know about, including what to do if you’ve had to repay COVID-19 benefits, how to plan ahead if you’re self-employed or retiring soon, and what you need to know if you have a home office or employer-provided benefits.

Easy Exit: Business Succession in a Nutshell

Getting into the world of business is a meticulous task, but so is getting out of it Whether you’ve just hit the ground running on your business or if you’ve been at it for a long time, there is no better time to plan your exit strategy than now.

Accessing Corporate Earnings

One of the financial planning issues that business owners face is how to access their corporate earnings in a tax efficient way. Please contact us to learn how we can get more money in your pocket than in the government's.

TFSA versus RRSP – What you need to know to make the most of them in 2022

TFSAs and RRSPs can be significant savings vehicles. To help you understand their differences, we have put together this article to compare: - TFSA versus RRSP - Differences in deposits - TFSA versus RRSP - Differences in withdrawals Understanding the differences between these two types of tax-advantaged accounts can help you better plan for future purchases and your eventual retirement.

2022 Financial Calendar

Looking for an "at a glance" document covering all the important dates you need to know to stay on track with your financial planning in 2022? Our 2022 financial calendar (which you can easily bookmark or print out) makes sure you're always in the loop! It lists important dates, including: • Payments dates for the Canada Child Benefit, CPP, OAS, and the GST/HST credit. • When TFSA contribution room starts again. • Tax filing deadlines. • Charitable contribution deadlines and the last day to contribute to registered investment accounts. • When the Bank of Canada interest rate announcements are.

2021 Personal Year-End Tax Tips

The end of 2021 is quickly approaching – which means it’s time to get everything in order, so you’re ready when it comes time to file your taxes. We’ve broken this article into the following sections to make it easy to find the tax tips you’re looking for: • Individuals, including details on COVID-19 benefits and important tax credits. • Investment considerations, including how to best contribute to TFSAs, RRSPs, and RDSPs. • Families, including how to claim childcare expenses and make the most of RESPs. • Retirees, including essential details about applying for CPP and OAS.

2021 Year-End Tax Tips for Business Owners

We’re approaching the end of the year, so it’s time to review your business finances. We’ve put together an article highlighting the most critical tax-planning tips you need to know as a business owner. We’ve focused on: • How to determine the right salary and dividend mix. • The best ways to handle compensation. • How to make sure you can take advantage of the small business deduction. • What you need to know about depreciable assets and charitable donations. • How to make the most of Covid-19 relief programs.

Financial Planning

A financial plan looks at where you are today and where you want to go. It determines your short, medium and long term financial goals and how you can reach them.

“Final Pivot” – COVID-19 Emergency Benefits expire October 23rd, replaced by targeted supports

On Thursday, October 22nd, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the "final pivot in delivering the support needed to deliver a robust recovery." This "Final Pivot" means several existing pandemic support programs for individuals and businesses will expire on October 23rd, 2021: -  Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)  -  Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS)  -  Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) 

Insurance Planning for Business Owners

For business owners, making sure your business is financially protected can be overwhelming. Business owners face a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing risk. Insurance can play an important role.

10 Essential Decisions for Business Owners

Business owners are busy… they’re busy running a successful business, wearing lots of hats and making a ton of decisions. We've put together a list of 10 essential decisions for every business owner to consider.

Paying for Education

Post-secondary education can be expensive, however having the opportunity to plan for it helps with making sure that you’re capable to meet the costs of education.

The Need for Personal Life Insurance

At different stages of life, the need for life insurance will vary, here's a list of reasons for life insurance.

Why You Should Consider Critical Illness Insurance

There are no perfect answers in the area of your personal finances, but if you are looking for an option that has the potential to offer you a real sense of peace of mind to secure the financial future of you and your family, critical illness insurance is certainly an interesting avenue to explore.

Estate Planning for Young Families

Estate Planning for Young Families

Federal Budget 2021 Highlights

On April 19, 2021, the Federal Government released their 2021 budget. Our article contains highlights of the various financial measures in this budget, divided into three different sections: • Business Highlights, including an extension to COVID-19 Emergency Business Supports, new programs to support job creation, and a change in interest deductibility limits. • Individual Highlights, including details on the tax treatment and repayment of personal COVID-19 benefits (such as CERB), eligibility changes to the Disability Tax Credit, an increase in OAS for those 75 and up, and support for job skills retraining. • Additional Highlights, including a proposed federal minimum wage of $15, changes to the GST New Housing Rebate conditions, and new or increased taxes in areas such as luxury goods, tobacco, and Canadian housing owned by non-resident foreign owners.

What’s new for the 2021 tax-filing season?

Tax season is upon us once again. But since 2020 was a year like no other, the 2021 tax-filing season will also be different. Due to all the changes in both where and how Canadians worked, the Canadian government has introduced some new tax credits and deductions to keep pace with these changes. Our article covers all of the following: • How to claim home office expenses • The new Canada Training Credit • Pandemic emergency funds • New digital news subscription tax credit

Retirement Planning for Business Owners – Checklist

As a business owner, one of your challenges is learning how to balance between reinvesting into the business and setting money aside for personal savings. Since there are no longer employer-sponsored pension plans and the knowledge that retirement will come eventually, it’s important to have a retirement plan in place. We've put together an infographic checklist that can help you get started on this.

Extended COVID-19 Federal Emergency Benefits

On Friday, February 19, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an extension to: - Canada Recovery Benefit - Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit - Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit - Employment Insurance

Self-employed: Government of Canada addresses CERB repayments for some ineligible self-employed recipients

Great news for some ineligible self-employed Canadians who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

TFSA vs RRSP – What you need to know to make the most of them in 2021

Both TFSAs and RRSPs can be significant savings vehicles for your clients. We've put together an article to help your clients easily understand the differences between them – with one section focussing on differences in deposits and one focussing on differences in withdrawals. The deposit section focuses on: • How much contribution room is available each year • How carry forward works for TFSAs and RRSPs • Tax deductibility of contributions • Tax treatment of growth The withdrawal section focusses on: • Conversion requirements • Tax treatment of withdrawals • Impact of withdrawals on government benefits • Impact of withdrawals on contribution room

2021 Financial Calendar

We’ve put together a financial calendar for 2021. It contains all the dates you need to know to make the most of your government benefits and investment options. Whether you want to bookmark this or print it out and post it somewhere prominent, you’ll have everything you need to know in one place!

Government of Canada to allow up to $400 for home office expenses

For the 2020 tax year, the Government of Canada introduced a temporary flat rate method to allow Canadians working from home this year due to Covid-19 to claim expenses of up to $400.

Highlights of the 2020 Federal Fall Economic Statement | Additional $20,000 CEBA loan available now

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland recently provided the government's fall economic update. It included information on the government's strategy for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its plan to help shape the recovery. We've summarized the highlights for you: • Corporate Tax Changes, including extensions to subsidy programs. • Personal Tax Changes, including additional Canada Child Benefit Plan payments and a new "Work from home" tax credit. • Indirect Tax Changes, including the proposal to charge GST/HST on services provided via digital platforms, as well as the temporary removal of GST/HST on face masks and shields. For business owners, as of December 4th, the CEBA loan has been expanded by an additional $20,000.
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