Ep #80: The Relevance & True Cost of CPP (Canada Pension Plan) for Small Business Owners - with Aravind Sithamparapillai
Dec 12, 2024
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Aravind Sithamparapillai, an associate at Ironwood Wealth Management and known as a tax ninja, dives deep into the Canada Pension Plan and its implications for small business owners. He simplifies complex tax topics like salary vs dividends and discusses tax integration across provinces. Fascinatingly, he compares CPP contributions with personal investment strategies, highlighting the long-term security CPP offers. He also sheds light on lesser-known CPP benefits, including disability and family support, making financial planning more accessible for listeners.
Understanding the implications of CPP contributions is crucial for small business owners to effectively manage their financial planning and tax strategies.
The comparison between salary and dividends reveals that while dividends may appear beneficial, salaries often provide a more tax-efficient approach to income distribution.
CPP offers various benefits, such as disability and survivor payments, positioning it as a vital safety net beyond mere contributions for individuals and families.
Deep dives
The Miracle on Ice and Personal Reflections
The episode begins by recalling the historic 'Miracle on Ice' hockey game where the U.S. Olympic team defeated the Soviet Union in 1980, paralleling significant historical events such as the declaration of smallpox eradication and the onset of a major recession. The host dedicates the episode to his late grandmother, sharing personal anecdotes that reflect on her impactful role in his life, raising themes of family, spirituality, and love for good food. He emphasizes two key lessons learned from her: prioritizing family and pursuing one's work with passion. This dedication sets a reflective tone for the episode, intertwining personal loss with broader themes of legacy and remembrance.
Understanding Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Contributions
The discussion shifts to Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, as the host shares his realization that many may not fully grasp the implications of their contributions. He challenges himself to explore the detailed costs associated with both employee and employer contributions to CPP. It is explained that CPP holds both individual tax impacts and broader financial contexts, making an informed understanding crucial for effective financial planning. The host highlights a guest expert who simplifies complex topics, promising a future episode that delves deeper into the mechanics of CPP.
Tax Integration: Salary vs. Dividends
A key focus of the episode is tax integration, particularly the comparison between salaries and dividends when it comes to tax efficiency for incorporated business owners. The guest illustrates how salary payments allow for a smoother tax structure while emphasizing the complexities that arise when opting for dividends, where individual and corporate taxes combine in a less efficient way. Understanding the distribution of tax burdens between salaries and dividends enables better financial strategy planning for healthcare professionals. The conversation underscores that while dividends might seem advantageous at first glance, salary typically yields higher tax efficiency in most scenarios.
The True Cost of CPP and Additional Benefits
Exploration of CPP contributions leads to discussions surrounding additional benefits included in CPP offerings, such as disability benefits, children's benefits, and survivor's pensions. Distinction is made regarding the limited scope of the CPP disability benefit, which is available only for individuals unable to work due to severe disabilities, contrasted against personal disability insurance policies. The children's benefit provides financial support for minor children if a contributing parent passes away, and the survivor's benefit supports the deceased's spouse, which can be particularly helpful in ensuring financial stability for families. These insights serve to highlight CPP not merely as a cost but as a potential safety net for various life scenarios.
Investment Decisions: Weighing CPP against Personal Returns
The episode concludes with a discussion of the viability of investing outside of the CPP as a potential strategy, addressing the common belief that one can achieve higher returns than those offered through CPP contributions. The guest emphasizes the importance of evaluating net after-tax returns from personal investments, which can significantly differ from nominal returns when taxes are accounted for. It is framed that while market returns can fluctuate, CPP provides a guaranteed income stream, differentiating between risk and security in financial planning. This segment prompts listeners to conduct their calculations and to consider long-term implications rather than immediate potential gains, reinforcing the importance of informed decision-making.
Today I welcome Aravind Sithamparapillai (MBA), who is an associate at Ironwood Wealth Management. Aravind is becoming known as a tax ninja - he breaks down complex topics nicely for listeners of all levels.
While the focus of this episode is meant to be CPP (Canada Pension Plan) & its relevance to business owners, we cover a lot of ground that includes salary vs dividends & tax basics.
Discussion Points: Aravind's background (4:18) The basics of tax integration (5:00) Tax integration by province/territory (6:42) Tax credit & deduction on the employee portion of CPP (9:16) Employer portion of CPP - tax deductible (14:13) What is the true cost of CPP? (16:30) Understanding the dividend gross up & dividend tax credit (22:05) Income based benefits that can be impacted by the dividend gross up (26:15) CPP vs investing yourself in the corporation (31:13) Salary + dividend vs salary only approach (39:10) What about the IPP (41:35) Other CPP benefits - disability, children, survivor (43:30)