Merry December from our home to yours! It may not be as merry as other years, but I sincerely hope that you have had at least one great thing happen this year so you don’t have to look back on it as a total loss!

With cases on the rise again, we are limiting visits to the office as we did in the spring. Please call before dropping by, and considering meeting via Zoom or a phone call.

We have implemented a lot of changes at the office over the past few months; Quadrus has finally enable e-signatures for new account openings (most account types, anyway!) and we have upgraded several of the software applications we use in the office to be able to better serve you, from anywhere! Rick touches on these upgrades in his company update on page 6.

Besides the new tech we have on hand, in this edition Rick explores some of the commentary that speculates on market activity for 2021, following a surprisingly uneventful autumn. It just goes to show, as Patricia explains in her article, that things don’t always go according to plan. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t create a plan though! As they say… a dream without a plan is just a wish.

You may be wishing for a better financial situation, like 75% of Canadians, if not more! Lorna took a look at the survey by Financial Planning for Canadians which explores the top financial stressors. In good news, those with a financial planner are less stressed than those without. Perhaps, at least in part, because our job is to help create the plan to make your wishes happen. 

Finally, as many of us made the switch to working from home during the pandemic, CRA has announced a new program to allow WFH employees to claim a flat rate deduction. Traci discusses whether you should take this deduction, or perhaps look at a traditional expense claim on your 2020 return, in her article.

These may have been the longest 10 (or was it 22…) months of our lives, but I am forever grateful to be here at the end of it with family & friends, and still able to help you, our clients, even from home. Happy Holidays to all!

--Natalie LeBlanc