Plain-language guides to the money stuff that matters.
Registered accounts, how income is actually taxed, and the questions that come up once your business is past the kitchen-table stage. Each guide breaks down the mechanics in plain language and pairs it with an interactive tool so you can see how it would work for you.
The accounts that matter.
Tax-Free Savings Account
Tax-free growth, withdraw anytime, room restored January 1. The account every Canadian over 18 should be using.
- How contribution room actually works
- Why withdrawals don't lose room (after Jan 1)
- Interactive room visualizer — try a scenario
Registered Retirement Savings Plan
Tax-deferred growth and an immediate tax refund. Best when your income today is higher than it will be in retirement.
- How contributions reduce your tax — try the marginal-rate game
- Spousal RRSPs & the attribution rule (with a real-world example)
- Home Buyers' Plan & Lifelong Learning Plan
First Home Savings Account
The newest registered account — a hybrid of TFSA and RRSP designed to help first-time buyers save for a home. Contributions are tax-deductible and withdrawals for a qualifying home purchase are tax-free.
- $8,000 annual / $40,000 lifetime contribution limit
- How to combine FHSA + HBP for first-home purchases
- Interactive first-home savings simulator
Registered Disability Savings Plan
One of the most generous savings programs available — government grants and bonds matched up to 300%, with a $200,000 lifetime contribution cap.
- The CDSG (grant) and CDSB (bond) explained
- How to qualify with the Disability Tax Credit
- Interactive grant simulator with 20-year projection
Registered Education Savings Plan
Government grants up to $7,200 per child, plus tax-deferred growth, designed to fund post-secondary education for your kids.
- Maximizing the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG)
- The catch-up rule for late starters
- Interactive grant maximizer with growth projection
RRSP vs TFSA vs Non-registered
Same yearly contribution, same return — three accounts, three very different after-tax outcomes. A clean per-dollar comparison, including the two RRSP refund paths.
- Side-by-side after-tax results at retirement
- The RRSP refund: reinvest it vs spend it
- The deferred tax owing on your RRSP, throughout
How things work.
The mechanics behind your money — how income is actually taxed, and how a tax return is built, line by line.
How income is taxed
Employment, business, rental, interest, capital gains, dividends — where your dollar comes from can change its tax bill by more than half. A plain-language tour, with a live calculator.
- The tax personality of each income type
- Why interest is the most-taxed dollar you own
- Live “same money, taxed several ways” calculator
How a T1 actually works
Follow a real personal tax return from total income down to refund — every line, credit and bracket on one worked example. It demystifies the form most Canadians never actually read.
- Total income → net → taxable, step by step
- How credits and the dividend gross-up actually land
- The 2026 BC + federal brackets, in context
Business & assurance.
Plain-language guides for the questions that come up once your business is past the kitchen-table stage — assurance levels, lender requirements, and the engagements we run for clients.
Compilations vs Reviews vs Audits
Three engagement levels, three very different deliverables and costs. Which one does your bank, your shareholder, or the CRA actually need from you?
- Side-by-side comparison across 10 factors
- What each engagement does (and doesn’t) verify
- When you’d need each — with typical use cases
AI prompts for your business
How to write a prompt that actually works — plus five copy-and-paste Claude prompts for the marketing and admin jobs you keep putting off.
- The 5 ingredients of a great prompt
- Marketing: a content engine & on-brand customer replies
- Admin: SOPs, hiring posts & overdue-invoice nudges
BC ETG Eligibility Worksheet
Free industry-specific screening worksheet for the BC Employer Training Grant. 15 minutes to a real answer on whether it’s worth applying.
- Industry-specific flows (carpentry, landscaping, HVAC, services)
- Red flags & the renewal-and-maintenance trap
- Decision tree: apply, modify, or skip
* The rates, brackets and limits behind these tools — with sources — live on our tax rates & data sources reference.