The Milo Sarmiento blog
Insurance and investing, explained simply.
Straight talk on life insurance, critical illness coverage, and investing through a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA — written for families across Burnaby, Vancouver, and Metro Vancouver.
TFSA Withdrawals: Why December 31 Matters
Withdraw from your TFSA before Dec 31 and get the room back sooner. A Burnaby broker explains the CRA rule, the traps, and where life insurance fits.
Critical Illness Cover or a TFSA: Which Pays?
Critical illness cover vs a TFSA fund, how each pays, and where life insurance fits. A plain guide for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
Critical Illness Return of Premium: Worth It?
Is a critical illness return of premium rider worth it? How it works, tax, and how it fits with life insurance, from a Burnaby broker.
Spousal RRSP vs Pension Splitting for BC Couples
Spousal RRSP or pension income splitting? How CRA rules work for Burnaby and Vancouver couples planning retirement, explained plainly.
TFSA Successor Holder vs Beneficiary in BC
TFSA successor holder or beneficiary? How CRA taxes each for BC spouses in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver, plus the RC240 deadline.
RRSP Room for Newcomers: How It's Actually Built
RRSP newcomers Canada guide: how contribution room builds from earned income, why year one shows zero, and penalty traps. For Burnaby families.
Opening an FHSA the Year You Buy: 30 Days & Dec 31
FHSA rules for buying this year: open before you move in, the 30-day withdrawal window and the Dec 31 deadline. For Burnaby and Vancouver buyers.
RRSP Deduction: When Waiting a Year Pays More
Learn when carrying forward your RRSP deduction can mean a bigger tax refund later. CRA rules explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
TFSA Qualified Investments and the Day Trading Rule
TFSA qualified investments explained: what CRA allows, the 50% tax traps and the day trading rule. Plain advice for Burnaby and Vancouver savers.
RRSP Contribution Room: Reading Your CRA Notice
Deduction limit vs RRSP contribution room: how to read your CRA notice of assessment, explained for Burnaby and Vancouver families.
FHSA vs Home Buyers' Plan: Which Should You Use?
FHSA or the Home Buyers' Plan? How each works, current CRA limits, and how Burnaby and Vancouver first-time buyers can use both.
Borrowing Against Whole Life: Canadian Tax Rules
How cash value life insurance loans and surrenders are taxed in Canada, explained for Burnaby and Vancouver families. Know your ACB first.
Inflation and Your Life Insurance Payout
Inflation life insurance check: StatCan data shows a decade of CPI shrank fixed payouts. What Vancouver and Burnaby families can do about it.
Mortgage Protection: How Much Do You Really Need?
Mortgage protection explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families: the stress test, household debt data, and how to size your coverage.
Minor Beneficiary in BC: Why Name a Trustee
Naming a minor beneficiary in BC? Learn what happens without a trustee and how Burnaby and Vancouver families can plan ahead.
Life Insurance After Divorce in BC: What to Check
Life insurance divorce BC guide: beneficiary rules, irrevocable designations and support orders for Burnaby and Vancouver families.
Child Life Insurance in Canada: The Honest Case
What child life insurance in Canada really buys, when it makes sense, and why Metro Vancouver parents often do better with an RESP first.
Joint First-to-Die vs Last-to-Die for BC Couples
Joint life insurance explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver couples: how first-to-die and last-to-die differ, plus BC probate and tax rules.
Term Conversion Deadlines Canadians Miss
Term conversion lets you switch to permanent life insurance without a medical. When the window closes, explained by a Burnaby, BC broker.
Unclaimed Life Insurance: How to Find a Lost Policy
Think a loved one left unclaimed life insurance? How Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families can search for a lost policy in BC.
Denied Life Insurance Claim? The Real Reasons Why
Why a denied life insurance claim happens in Canada, what BC's two year rule means, and what Burnaby and Vancouver families can do about it.
Critical Illness Statistics Canada: Real Numbers
Critical illness statistics Canada: cancer, heart attack and stroke incidence numbers, and what they mean for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
Critical Illness Definitions: Canada's Fine Print
Critical illness definitions in Canada, explained for Burnaby families: the 30-day survival period, partial payouts and the 90-day exclusion.
RDSP in BC: Grants, Bonds and Who Should Open One
A plain guide to the RDSP for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families: the 2026 grant and bond rules, who qualifies, and the catches to watch.
TFSA Contribution Room Since 2009: Your Real Limit
Work out your real TFSA contribution room since 2009 using CRA figures, and fix an overcontribution. A plain guide for Metro Vancouver.
Spousal RRSP Rules and the Three Year Trap
How a spousal RRSP and pension income splitting work, plus the CRA's three year attribution rule, explained for Burnaby and Vancouver families.
Key person insurance: what a BC business needs
Key person insurance and buy-sell funding for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver business owners, with CRA and BC Business Corporations Act rules.
Corporate Life Insurance for BC Business Owners
How corporate life insurance and the capital dividend account work for Burnaby and Vancouver business owners, explained with CRA sources.
Whole Life Dividends: How the Scale Really Works
How whole life dividends are set, why the dividend scale can change, and what Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families should ask before buying.
Segregated Funds vs Mutual Funds: The Real Tradeoff
Segregated funds promise guarantees and creditor protection at a higher fee. A Burnaby broker unpacks what the rules actually say for BC families.
Canada's Life Insurance Coverage Gap: The Real Data
What CLHIA and Statistics Canada data say about the life insurance coverage gap, and what it means for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
Canadian Life Expectancy vs Your Term Length
Canadian life expectancy data, and what it means for the term length you choose. A Burnaby broker's plain look at how long to insure.
Smoker Life Insurance Rates: The 12 Month Rule
Smoker life insurance rates in BC: what counts as smoking, the 12 month rule and reclassifying after you quit. A Burnaby broker explains.
What life insurance underwriting actually checks
What life insurance underwriting checks in 2026: labs, MIB, prescriptions and genetic test rules, explained by a Burnaby broker.
Contestability Period: The First 2 Years, Explained
The contestability period on BC life insurance, explained: the 2-year rule, what restarts it, and what it misses. From a Burnaby broker.
What Assuris Actually Covers If Your Insurer Fails
What Assuris coverage protects if a Canadian insurer fails, limits by benefit type, checked October 2026. From a Burnaby broker.
BCTESG: The $1,200 Deadline BC Parents Miss
BCTESG 2026: BC's $1,200 RESP grant has a 3-year window. Who qualifies, how to apply, and how it stacks with the CESG, from a Burnaby broker.
CESG explained: grant rates, room and the $7,200 cap
CESG explained for 2026: 20% grant, $500 a year, $7,200 lifetime cap, new income bands and year-end deadline for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
The Home Buyers' Plan in 2026: Limits and Repayment
Home Buyers' Plan rules for late 2026: the $60,000 limit, the 5-year grace period and repayment, explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver buyers.
FHSA Rules, Limits and How It Works With an RRSP
FHSA rules for 2026: $8,000 a year, $40,000 lifetime, the Dec 31 deadline and stacking with an RRSP and HBP, explained for Burnaby buyers.
BC Families: Year-End Financial Planning Checklist
Year-end financial planning for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families: verified 2026 RRSP, TFSA, FHSA and RESP limits, deadlines and coverage checks.
Work Life Insurance Isn't Enough: Here's Why
Why work life insurance alone leaves Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families exposed: BC Insurance Act rules, 2024 CLHIA data, and a 4-point checklist.
Guaranteed vs Simplified Issue Life Insurance in BC
Guaranteed issue life insurance vs simplified issue in BC: waiting periods, the 2-year rule and when each fits, from a Burnaby broker.
RESP Withdrawals: Take the Money Out, Keep Grants
RESP withdrawal rules for 2026: EAP limits, the grant repayment trap, and what Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families should check before cashing out.
Financial Planning for Filipino Families in BC
Financial planning for Filipino families in Metro Vancouver: 2026 RESP grant and CRA limits, BC insurance data, and deadlines that expire.
Life Insurance Beneficiary Mistakes to Fix in BC
Your life insurance beneficiary form outranks your will. Seven mistakes BC families make, and how to fix them, from a Burnaby broker.
Universal Life Insurance, Explained for BC Families
Universal life insurance explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families: the flexibility, the tax rules, and the BC details that matter.
Life Insurance Tax in Canada: What Families Keep
Life insurance tax in Canada, explained for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families: why death benefits are tax free and where the real tax bill lands.
Do You Still Need Life Insurance After 60 in BC?
Life insurance for seniors in Metro Vancouver: what BC probate, the final tax return and CPP's $2,500 death benefit really mean after 60.
TFSA Mistakes That Quietly Cost BC Investors
TFSA mistakes that quietly cost Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families, with the 2026 CRA rules on room, over-contributions and beneficiaries.
Life insurance before baby arrives: a BC guide
Planning life insurance before baby arrives? A Burnaby broker on 2026 EI leave pay, group plans and BC beneficiary rules.
BC Homeowners: Estate Planning and Life Insurance
BC homeowners: how life insurance, probate fees and the final tax return interact for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families in 2026.
Whole life insurance as savings: worth it in BC?
Is whole life insurance really savings? A Burnaby broker on the 2026 tax rules, rate picture, and who permanent coverage actually fits in BC.
Life Insurance for Newcomers in Metro Vancouver
Life insurance, the MSP wait, tenant coverage and RESP grants explained for newcomers in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver, with verified 2026 figures.
Switching Jobs in BC? What Happens to Your Coverage
Changing jobs in Metro Vancouver? Your group life insurance likely ends within days. Here's the 31-day conversion window and what to do in 2026.
Segregated Funds Explained for Cautious BC Savers
Segregated funds explained for cautious savers in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver: guarantees, fees, probate savings and 2026 deadlines.
Life Insurance Rates in BC: How to Pay Less
How life insurance rates are set in Canada and what you can change to pay less, from a Burnaby broker serving Metro Vancouver families.
Life Insurance When You Work for Yourself in BC
Self-employed in Burnaby or Metro Vancouver? How to size life insurance around your family, your business debts, and 2026 costs.
Life Insurance When You're Single With No Kids
Do you need life insurance if you're single with no kids? A Burnaby broker on debts, the 2026 numbers, and when it's fine to wait.
How the RESP Grant Works (and the Full CESG in BC)
How the RESP grant works in 2026: the $500 CESG, the $1,200 BC grant, and how Burnaby families can collect it all by December 31.
RRSP vs TFSA: Where Should You Save First?
RRSP or TFSA first? A Burnaby broker explains 2026 limits, key deadlines, and a simple saving order for Metro Vancouver families.
What Critical Illness Insurance Covers in BC
What critical illness insurance covers in BC for 2026: common conditions, EI gaps, and fine print for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families.
Mortgage Insurance vs Term Life in BC
Mortgage insurance vs term life for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families renewing in 2026: who gets paid, portability, and what to compare.
Life Insurance for New Parents in Vancouver
Life insurance for new parents in Vancouver: term vs permanent, how much you need, RESP grants, and 2026 tips from a Burnaby broker.
Term vs Whole Life Insurance for Young Families
Term life insurance vs whole life for young families in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver: what each one does, what changed for 2026, and how to choose.
How Much Life Insurance Do You Really Need in BC?
How much life insurance do you really need in BC? A 2026 walkthrough for Burnaby and Metro Vancouver families, plus a simple way to find your number.