SnowbirdAlert Go to the doctor Get those pre-existing medical conditions under control and work with your doctor to make any necessary adjustments to your medication as soon as possible. Get followup tests and procedures scheduled so that you have a clear 90-day stability period before you head south in the fall. File your 8840 Form When you fulfil the requirements of the substantial presence test, you can be treated as a resident of the United States and be taxed by the IRS on your worldwide income. Declare your closer connection to Canada by completing the IRS 8840 Form and send it in. Update your Personal Health Record When you or your spouse are dealing with a medical emergency either away or at home, you don’t want to run around looking for prescriptionmedication bottles or be concerned with an accurate recollection of what year or instance in which either of you receivedmedical treatment. Write it down now, while you have time and presence of mind, and keep it in a handy spot – such as on your fridge – for quick and easy access should the time ever come at which you need to answer medical questions quickly. Renew your CSA Membership Support the only organization that actively lobbies governments in Canada and the United States to protect and defend the snowbird lifestyle. Note: 8840 Form, Personal Health Records and CSA Membership renewal can all be accessed easily at www.snowbirds.org SPRINGTIME SNOWBIRD CHECKLIST As you give your home a good spring cleaning this year, you may come across investment statements — and it’s a good time to take a closer look. Your 2017 statements contain new, personalized information about how well your investments performed and how much you paid for services from your dealer (the company that your advisor works for) in the past year. This information will help you on your path to becoming a more knowledgeable investor. Your report will tell you how well your investments performed after costs have been deducted. It’s called your “personal rate of return” and it’s unique to you. For example, you and your neighbour could each have a different personal rate of return even if you’ve invested in the same fund, because you each moved money in and out of the fund at different times. Your personal rate of return includes the timing of your own deposits and withdrawals, and changes in the market value of your securities. Your report will list the fees which you paid for the services that you received from your dealer over the past year. Services could include understanding your finances and risk tolerance, guiding you to build and maintain your financial plan, buying and selling units based on your needs, and keeping detailed records of your account. This information is new to most investors and helps give a clearer picture of how investments are performing. Whether they’re sitting on your to-do list, at the bottom of your spring cleaning pile, or waiting in your inbox, open your new reports and take charge of your money today. Find more information online at ific.ca. www.newscanada.com I75 Disruption Eight miles (13km) of Interstate-75’s southbound lanes will be closed for the next two years. This affects all traffic entering the U.S. across the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor and heading south on the interstate. It may also affect southbound traffic entering the U.S. at the BlueWater Bridge in Sarnia and taking I-94 south to links with I-75 south in Detroit. Incidentally, the northbound lanes are not affected by this closure, except for some temporary lane restrictions. If you enjoy using Dave Hunter’s “Along I-75” guidebook, you can download replacement maps including Dave’s Better Detour to navigate your journey this fall. www.i75online.com Find out how your money is working for you 6 | www.snowbirds.org
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