Year-end isn’t a filing chore — it’s your annual planning review: the compensation, investment and contribution decisions incorporated owners in Canada must lock before December 31, 2026.
Your income is your biggest asset, and disability is likelier than death in your working years. Check your group LTD (often capped and taxable), subtract it from your essential monthly needs, and fill the gap.
Private-company shares can be taxed twice at death. A planner’s view on the structures you set up now — pipeline, 164(6), insurance — so your family isn’t.
Fixed or variable? You cannot predict rates, so decide on your tolerance instead. Choose fixed if a payment jump would strain your budget; variable if you have cushion and a longer horizon.
How to combine holdco dividends, RRIF withdrawals and TFSA income across both spouses to control your bracket every year — a planner’s 2026 framework.
How much mortgage can you afford? Usually less than your pre-approval. Lenders cap you with debt-ratio rules and a stress test (your rate + 2% or 5.25%); your comfortable number sits below that.
Your holdco is the pension you built. A planner’s framework for getting money out in retirement at the lowest lifetime tax — CDA, dividends and timing.
Debt avalanche vs snowball: avalanche saves the most interest, snowball clears your smallest debt fastest for momentum. Pay minimums on all, throw every extra dollar at one.
Taking CPP and OAS early, on time, or late is a longevity-and-income decision — not a default. A planner’s framework for incorporated business owners in Canada for 2026.
How to calculate net worth: add up everything you own, then subtract everything you owe. Track the trend quarterly, since it is the real scoreboard, not your income.