A couple we’ll call Liam and Sue, both in their early 50s, have farmed in southern Manitoba for nearly four decades. They have a big stake in the land, for they personally own 1,400 acres. Another 640 acres are owned by the family farm corporation they formed 20 years ago. The operation has been successful, […] Read more
Turning a successful farm into retirement income
2013 outlook: flat is the new up in a troubled world
As a new year begins, the outlook for off-farm investments is clouded by troubles around the world. Canada is a sweet spot and the Prairies sweeter still, for Alberta, as always, is good to its business. It is becoming ever more the headquarters of corporate Canada. Saskatchewan is booming with its key products — grains, fertilizer, and […] Read more
Evaluating bond risk
Bonds have a reputation for safety, but these days they come with risk. Andrew Allentuck explains the risk behind the ratings
It’s tough to get off-farm investing right. Capital markets are perilous places. It’s as vital to control risks as it is to make a profit. After all, you don’t want to put all your money in one stock or even one sector or type of asset. But some assets, especially bonds, have an awful lot […] Read moreSelling best solution for subsistence Prairie farm
A couple we’ll call Michael, 50, and Teresa 45, are heirs to a third generation family farm in Manitoba left to them by Michael’s recently deceased parents. Michael and his wife are both middle level managers, each in separate companies in Alberta, their home province. They are raising two children, ages three and six, and earning a combined […] Read more
Age and illness threaten an Alberta family farm
When it’s time for generational change, this family needs to consider age and their children’s special requirements
It is a farm in crisis. A couple we’ll call Max, 74, and Ruth, 71, are struggling to keep 640 acres of mixed hay and grain in central Alberta going. But it’s getting to be almost impossible. Max has trouble getting around and is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, they have rented out […] Read moreDeducting farm losses
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that farmers with town jobs can deduct all farm losses from their off-farm income
Folks who have town jobs that help them survive money-losing farming operations will have an easier time deducting losses from other income thanks to a case, Canada versus Craig, decided by the Supreme Court of Canada on August 1, 2012. “The Craig case says that if a taxpayer with two businesses, one of which is […] Read moreCrisis Olympics
Caution and patience are likely to be the winning strategies as the European financial crisis unfolds
Now is the winter of our discontent,” wrote William Shakespeare in Richard III. Make it summer and the line is a perfect description of the dilemma facing every investor. Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index dropped seven per cent between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012. The American S&P 500 did a lot better in the period, […] Read moreBack to the farm to create a legacy
Lots of landowners plan to return to the farm later in life. Funding retirement and leaving a legacy will require some planning
Stephen, as we’ll call him, started an 800 acre mixed beef and grain farm in central Manitoba in the late 1970s. By 2002, Stephen had had enough. He sold his beef cow herd and 320 acres of farm land and headed to Alberta to work as a welder. Stephen saved little of his wages over […] Read moreChoosing off-farm investments
What’s next? For off-farm investments, a solid answer to that question will make the difference between statements that bleed red ink and those that soar into the black
World stock markets are soaring, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are signs of recovery in Europe where the European Central Bank (ECB) has calmed stock and bond markets. In New York, where modest trend shifts turn into stampedes, the omens are positive. And in Japan, where the Nikkei 225 average appears […] Read moreChoosing off-farm investments
What’s next? For off-farm investments, a solid answer to that question will make the difference between statements that bleed red ink and those that soar into the black
World stock markets are soaring, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are signs of recovery in Europe where the European Central Bank (ECB) has calmed stock and bond markets. In New York, where modest trend shifts turn into stampedes, the omens are positive. And in Japan, where the Nikkei 225 average appears […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
