The Canadian Snowbird Association is happy to inform its members that Medipac Travel Insurance has earned the association's exclusive endorsement as the preferred travel insurance plan for the 2017 travel season.
The CSA Auto and Home Insurance Plan has been specifically designed and implemented for the members of
the Canadian Snowbird Association.
Medipac is the ONLY travel medical insurance program recommended exclusively by
the Canadian Snowbird Association - the voice of travelling Canadians - and is the travel insurance benefit partner of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Each insurance plan is supported by our own medical professionals at Medipac Assist and all are endorsed by both the Royal Canadian Legion and
the Canadian Snowbird Association.
Canadian Snowbird Association urges travelling Canadians to obtain a passport and travel medical insurance
Shop online for
Canadian snowbird travel insurance.
If you do plan to escape the winter wrath this year by heading south for more than a month, you should consider
these Canadian snowbird travel tips when planning your vacation.
The weather has been absolutely perfect although some might say it is a little too hot — for
Canadian snowbird it is perfect.
Joining groups like
the Canadian Snowbird Association or the CAA (which offers tailored plans to members) is another way to save.
Terry Ritchie, co-author of
The Canadian Snowbird in America and a cross-border financial expert with Cardinal Point Wealth Management Inc., also recommends specialized currency exchange services provided by firms like Knightsbridge Foreign Exchange, Canadian Forex, Western Union Business Solutions and AFEX.
(Medipac, offered through
the Canadian Snowbird Association, is one of the most popular.)
For converting and transferring regular monthly amounts, consider
the Canadian Snowbird Association «s foreign exchange service.
You should also check out
the Canadian Snowbird Association website at www.snowbirds.org.
A good one to start with is
The Canadian Snowbird in America, by Terry Ritchie and Brian Wruk.
(You can refer to
The Canadian Snowbird in America, by Ritchie for the details.)
Membership organizations like
the Canadian Snowbird Association, the Kiwanis Club and CAA have plans tailored specifically to their members and they're usually relatively cheap, points out Korcok.
The Canadian Snowbird Association suggests checking your liability limit, and ensuring a minimum $ 2 million of coverage.
«To avoid any hassle at the border, if you're planning to take medications in the United States, take only enough for your personal use for the time you will be away,» says Terry Ritchie, co-author of
The Canadian Snowbird in America.
«If you were able to bend the rules in the past, it ain't going to fly any more,» says Terry Ritchie, a cross-border financial expert with Cardinal Point Wealth Management Inc. and co-author of
The Canadian Snowbird in America (an updated edition is expected this Spring).
Another useful source of information is
The Canadian Snowbird Guide by Douglas Gray.
«In Florida, because of the hurricanes, there are certain areas that are deemed extremely high risk by the private insurance market and as a result, they do not want to take on new insurance clients,» says Lawrence Barker of
the Canadian Snowbird Association.
Attention
all Canadian snowbirds, beach - seekers and slope - shredders.
Stooks said his situation isn't unique and he knows of a number of families in the Phoenix area that live part time in B.C. to escape the summer heat — the opposite of
Canadian snowbirds.
The small town of 30,000 people is a 20 - minute drive from Tucson and serves as a winter home to the couple and 300 other
Canadian snowbirds.
As well,
all Canadian snowbirds whose visits to the U.S. fall between 30 and 183 days in a single calendar year are subjected to something the IRS calls a «substantial presence» test.
Over the years, Rick has become somewhat of an expert on many of the issues
Canadian snowbirds face — preparing annual budgets, watching the value of the loonie carefully to see if this year they'll have a favourable exchange rate and making sure they have enough travel medical insurance to make their trips carefree.
Currently, Americans find the greenback goes a long way in Canada, but the reverse is true for
Canadian snowbirds spending money in the U.S. Ardrey advises clients to do large conversions from the C$ to the greenback when the exchange rate is more favourable.
Organizations like the CAA or
the Canadian Snowbirds Association also have plans tailored to their members, and they're usually cheaper.
MONTREAL —
Canadian snowbirds who were lucky enough to escape property damage from hurricane Irma will still face higher costs as insurance providers jack up premiums and condo associations levy special assessments, say Florida insurance experts.
Two separate approaches and I've not heard back from
The Canadian Snowbirds Association.
I've contacted both CARP (Canadian Association of Retired People) and
The Canadian Snowbirds Association about establishing an infinity card with no FX FEES with a Canadian bank.
Canadian Snowbirds involved in accidents in Florida, for example, may be surprised that a negligent resident driver may be carrying only $ 50,000 in automobile liability insurance.
We recently ran across an article describing what
Canadian Snowbirds need to consider before crossing the border to reside in the U.S. and we thought it would help if we closed the gap on the health insurance questions posed in that article.
Travel insurance reviews of Canada's most experienced long - term travellers, members of
the Canadian Snowbirds Association, have indicated that comprehensive coverage followed by low rates and ease of purchase as the most important attributes to consider when comparing and purchasing a travel medical insurance plan.
A growing number of Canadians are looking to purchase retirement residences and vacation homes in the Caribbean and Mexico these days, given the turmoil in many popular U.S. property markets — areas where warmer climates have traditionally been the retreat of choice for
Canadian snowbirds.
Chinese buyers have surpassed
Canadian snowbirds as the dominant foreign buyers of homes in the U.S., according to the National Association of Realtors.
But, some say it's not Asian buyers that
Canadian snowbirds face as their greatest competition for Florida housing deals but investor groups making «bulk investments,» buying up dozens of condos at a time.
These markets include many «sunshine state» destinations sought after by
Canadian snowbirds.
Not exact matches
Given that
Canadian shoppers and
snowbirds have been flocking to U.S. outlet malls for years, and have upped their visits with the rise of the loonie, the only question about the groundswell of domestic interest in this retail segment is: What took so long?
The
snowbird phenomenon is about tax avoidance, and in large measure why
Canadians own 500,000 residences in Florida alone and are the single biggest real estate investors in the U.S..
This means that you would want the portion of your retirement that will fund e.g. a
Snowbird lifestyle to be unhedged while e.g. the part that funds property taxes on your
Canadian house to be hedged.
That's the advice Robert F. Keats has for
snowbirds in his latest book, «A
Canadian's Best Tax Haven: The U.S — Take Your Money and Drive!»
Snowbirds, like any
Canadian tourist, can stay for six months from date of entry unless told otherwise.
As you've probably heard,
snowbird is a term used to describe a
Canadian who regularly spends time in warm - weather spots in U.S. Sunbelt states like Florida, Arizona, Texas and California, as well as Mexico, for up to six months every year.
When you combine these factors with a strong
Canadian dollar, you spark the interest of would - be landlords and
snowbirds alike.
A rising
Canadian dollar is good news for
snowbirds and importers, but if you hold foreign equities in your portfolio, you've taken a hit.
More than a million
Canadians aged 55 and up have learned the ins and outs of leading a
snowbird lifestyle — and many of them don't have big budgets.
Canadian - owned U.S. banks have a reputation for treating
snowbird mortgage applicants better than their U.S. - owned competitors.
With the approach of
Canadian winter, it's easy to appreciate the warm - weather appeal of the
snowbird lifestyle.
Being a
snowbird certainly allows you to escape those harsh
Canadian winters.