www.SmallBizAdvisor.ca, brought to you by the editorial teams at Benefits Canada and the Advisor Group, goes live today. This one-stop destination for advisors with small businesses or entrepreneurs as clients addresses important issues surrounding the group benefits and retirement industries from the small business perspective. Featuring regular news articles and in-depth features on relevant small business topics written by Canada’s top experts in the group benefits and retirement markets, www.SmallBizAdvisor.ca is poised to become the go-to resource for Canadian small business advisors. Creative Planning Financial Group's president, Rob Franklin, and Darren Hanser provided www.SmallBizAdvisor.ca with two articles which can be found by following these links: Article 1:  Introduction To Taxation Of Group Benefits Article 2:  A Benefits Plan Or Larger Salary? Visit www.SmallBizAdvisor.ca today to read these and other stories.

With the current economic uncertainty, many people are looking for ways to reduce expenses.  A relatively painless way to reduce your monthly expenses is to have a second look at the way you’re managing your debt. Over time, most of us take out a variety of loans for different purposes.  These can include things like credit card debt, car loans, home renovation loans and, of course, the mortgage.  And if you have more than one loan, you’re most likely paying a different interest rate on each loan.  One of the easiest ways to reduce your monthly interest costs is to consolidate your debt at the lowest rate.  Typically, your lowest-rate debt will be a loan that is secured by an asset, such as your home.  If you have sufficient equity built up in your home, consider switching to a product that allows you to access your equity, such as a home-equity line-of-credit.  ...