A dividend is one of the most common ways that Owner-managed businesses will distribute funds to the owners. Dividends are also distributions of their accumulated after-tax dollars that companies will give their shareholders. However, there are some key points that shareholders need to be aware of when they decide that they would like to receive dividends. Here’s a quick and dirty checklist:

February is a month that is commonly used for paying out bonuses to employees. One of the reasons for this is so that employees can use those bonuses to contribute into their RRSPs prior to the RRSP contribution deadline. Another reason, is that it allows employees to be taxed on these bonuses in the following year, vs the previous year.

Happy New Year!  January is a time for Fresh Starts. For your business, it’s also a time to reflect on how the year went.  And as Accountants, its now the beginning of the time when we start reaching out to our clients to remind them of what we’ll be needing in order to prepare their corporate tax returns. 

re you someone who plans out their holiday spending in November?  Maybe even has all of their holiday shopping completed by December 1st?  If so, I’m jealous.  Every year, I have the best intentions, and some years are better than others, but for the most part, I’m a 50/50 person when it comes to planning my holiday spending.