Financial Planning

Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Ross McCorquodale	Ross McCorquodale is a financial consultant on Bowen Island, his office is located at 101-475 Bowen Island Trunk Rd. Financial services include retirement savings strategies, retirement income strategies, wealth protection strategies, and estate & legacy strategies.
First Credit Union	Credit Union on Bowen Island, located at 996 Dorman Rd #106. Their team of wealth management advisors provide financial advice and planning services on topics including retirement, estates, and tax savings.
British Columbia Financial Planning	Resources from the provincial government to help you organize your financial affairs for now and the future. Detailed information to help you plan for retirement, including a useful tool for estimating your retirement income, and preparing your finances for retirement.
Healthy Families BC	An online library of articles on aging well, which includes financial planning resources. Educational articles provide information about the options to create the lifestyle you want so you can enjoy your later years. Topics include sources of income, benefits, discounts, tax credits, and future expenses.
Pensions and Retirement	Government of Canada resources for retirement planning, public and registered pensions, RRSPs, RRIFs, retirement income calculator, and more.
Power of Attorney	Government of Canada information regarding Power of Attorney process, rights, and legalities. Outlines definitions, advantages, risks, and considerations.

Legal Information

Clicklaw	An online subject guide to authoritative legal resources in BC and Canada. Developed and maintained by the BC Courthouse Library Society. Topics include debt, pensions, welfare, wills, estates, legal help, and more.
People’s Law School	A non-profit charitable society providing public legal education and information to British Columbians. Services include support for unbundling legal help, including articles providing answers to common questions, webinars, and Q&A with volunteer legal professionals.
MyLaw BC	A Legal Aid BC website which uses a question and answer format to guide people through a particular legal issue. Start an action plan and find the right resolution service for you, including wills and personal planning.
Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre	The Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre is a non-profit, charitable organization. Nidus provides information to British Columbians about personal planning, specializing in representation agreements. Nidus operates a centralized Registry for personal planning documents. Personal planning is about making legal arrangements in the event you need assistance managing your affairs during your lifetime due to illness, injury, or disability. Personal planning can address all areas of your life – health care, personal care, legal affairs, and financial affairs.
Bowen Library’s Law & Government Resources	Library databases provide access to trusted information sources that are not typically available through the Internet. Databases include Dial-A-Law which is a legal library provided by the People’s Law School and CanLII which provides access to court judgments, tribunal decisions, and statutes and regulations.
PovNet	PovNet offers connections to local community advocates intended to relieve poverty. PovNet’s “Find an Advocate” Tool allows you to search by location and issue to get specific results in your community. The provincial resources that are listed are available to people living anywhere in British Columbia. Search listings will give you a description of services and contact information to connect with an advocate.
Canadian Centre for Elder Law	The Canadian Centre for Elder Law helps older adults in their relationship with the law, and conducts research and public education on elder law issues. CCEL is a national, non-profit body dedicated to exploring the particular legal issues which affect older Canadians.
Courthouse Libraries BC	The courthouse library serves the legal community, the judiciary, and the public of BC. Its mission is to help lawyers and the community find and use legal information. Courthouse libraries are located in courthouses around the province. They support accessible legal information for the general public with the LawMatters program in public libraries, the Clicklaw website, which features legal information for the public, and Clicklaw Wikibooks, which produces collaboratively developed, plain language legal publications.
Access Pro Bono	Operates a free lawyer referral service and several pro bono programs serving the critical legal needs of people and non-profit organizations across BC.
Justice Education Society	The Justice Education Society creates innovative programs and resources that improve legal capability and increase access to justice.

Legal Aid

Seniors First BC Legal Programs	The Legal Advocacy Program provides legal advice, advocacy, and representation to people aged 55+ on legal issues involving tenancy, debt, and government benefits. Seniors First BC provides for the following legal issues: wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements, assisted living, residential care, discrimination, abuse, neglect, financial abuse, guardianship, capacity, debt, consumer complaints, and more.
Legal Aid BC	Legal aid BC provides information, advice, and representation. Their priority is to serve the interests of people with low incomes, but many services are available to all British Columbians. To get help with your legal issue, call 1-866-577-2525 or 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver).
The Public Guardian and Trustee of BC	The Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) of British Columbia serves adults who require assistance in decision making by protecting their legal rights, financial interests and personal care interests.
Seniors Abuse and Information Line   1-866-437-1940	This province-wide service is a confidential and safe place for older adults, and those who care about them, to talk to a trained intake worker about abuse or mistreatment and to receive information and support regarding the health and well being of an older adult. Help is available from 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week.

Tax Clinic

Your Financial Toolkit	A comprehensive learning program that provides basic information and tools to help adults manage their personal finances and gain the confidence they need to make better financial decisions. Learning modules focus on investing, income taxes, fraud protection, and more.
Seniors First BC	Seniors First BC (formerly BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support) is a non-profit committed to protecting the legal rights of older adults and providing supportive programs. Workshops and training include an informative overview to numerous federal and provincial government benefits for seniors – including Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Fair Pharmacare, BC Senior Supplement, Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER).
Government of Canada Tax Clinics	Through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, community organizations host free tax clinics where volunteers file tax returns for eligible people. Locate the free tax clinic in your area that best suits your needs.

Government Resources

BC Property Tax Deferment	Tax deferment is a low interest loan program that helps qualified BC homeowners with annual property taxes on their principal residence. Eligible applicants aged 55 and older can apply to have their current year’s property taxes deferred.
Government of Canada’s Programs and Services for Seniors	The Government of Canada’s seniors’ website provides information on the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and Guaranteed Income Supplement. It also contains legal information on protecting yourself and finances.
BC’s Financial and Legal Matters	View the Province of BC’s website to learn more about MSP and the Fair PharmaCare program for low-income seniors, subsidies for housing and transportation, and legal information on protecting yourself and your finances.
Government of Canada’s Benefits Finder	Get a customized list of benefits for which you may be eligible. The Government of Canada’s Benefits Finder may suggest benefits from federal, provincial or territorial governments.
Government of Canada’s Information on Frauds and Scams	Fraud is the number one crime committed against older adults in Canada. This resource details types of frauds to be aware of, tips, awareness, and support lines.