JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published May 5, 2012 This week, Warren Buffett released an open letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholders revealing that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The billionaire is a posterboy for so many aspects of personal finance. Most notably, he is one…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published May 5, 2012 May marks a time of change for those who own or who wish to own a vacation property. The snowbirds are returning from the sunny south and the Victoria Day holiday has historically been “opening weekend” for many cottagers.…

By John Heinzl  |  The Globe and Mail  |  April 26, 2012 I am an 82-year-old woman and currently work with a broker on a commission basis. If I develop dementia, should I transfer to a portfolio manager who would have discretion over my account? What other advice do you…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published April 18, 2012 One premise of conventional financial planning is cash flow management, a fancy term for plain old budgeting. If we could all just spend less and save more, financial independence would be a breeze. But the fact of the matter…

By Bruce Sellery  |  MoneySense  |  April 18, 2012 Question My husband and I are both in our 30s and we withdrew from our RRSPs under the first-time Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP). Our question is whether it is worth it for us to pay off the HBP loan, which is…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published April 13, 2012 When used responsibly, home equity lines of credit can help facilitate investments, improve tax-efficiency and provide liquidity. But when credit lines are used for household appliances, vacations, new cars and dinners on the town, the advantages quickly disappear. A report…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published April 10, 2012               Ontario sent a clear message to Ottawa in the provincial budget last week, raising several concerns about the current Pooled Registered Pension Plan (PRPP) proposal that was tabled at the federal level…

By Bruce Sellery  |  MoneySense  |  April 2, 2012 The fees you pay to invest your money can have a profound impact on your returns over time. This goes for any type of investing, not just RESPs. And that fact is scholarship trusts cost more. Jason Heath is a CFP…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published March 31, 2012 For three years, the word on the street has been that interest rates have nowhere to go but up. But few Canadian commentators – other than David Rosenberg – got the call on rates right. Although the prime rate has…

JASON HEATH | Special to the Financial Post  | Published March 26, 2012   This time of year can be intimidating for any taxpayer, but perhaps none more so than the business owner. Whether you have a sole proprietorship or a corporation, the need to pull together records and receipts or the potential…

By MoneySense staff  |  MoneySense  |  March 22, 2012 History presents a useful guide as to what type of mortgage to choose. “In recent years you would have been better off in variable-rate mortgages,” says Jason Heath, a fee-only financial planner with Objective Financial Partners in Toronto. “But that’s because we’ve…

Published on monsense.ca  |  March 15, 2012   RRSPs aren’t just for retirement If you’re having a year or two where you’re making much less money than normal—say you’re on maternity leave, you lost your job, or you’re backpacking around Asia—you might want to think about pulling some money out…