Financial Planning Simplified
I’m Robb — the guy behind Boomer & Echo. I’ve been a personal finance blogger since 2010 and an advice-only financial planner since 2015. I help regular Canadians with regular problems make smarter decisions about their money — without selling them a thing.
My philosophy is simple: Money shouldn’t be complicated.
You don’t need 17 bank accounts, 12 ETFs, or a side hustle to retire comfortably. You just need a good plan, grounded in what really matters to you.
By reading this website you're joining more than 250,000 people who stop by here every month to get tips on how to save money, invest well, and retire comfortably. And, if you choose to subscribe and receive new posts by email, you'll join a growing list of more than 12,000 email subscribers who are the first to get these tips sent straight to their inbox.
New Articles from Robb
Weekend Reading: The Retirement Consumption Puzzle Edition
Robb Engen | January 30, 2026 |
One of the strangest things about retirement is that it’s often not about whether you’ll have enough money to last a lifetime, but whether you’ll feel comfortable spending it. Economists call this the retirement consumption puzzle. In theory, retirees should draw down their savings over time and enjoy the money they spent decades accumulating. In…
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ETFs, Mutual Funds, and the Rise of Investing Slop
Robb Engen | January 23, 2026 |
For a long time, investing in Canada came with a fairly simple rule of thumb. Mutual funds were expensive. ETFs were cheaper. If you wanted better odds, you bought ETFs instead. That advice was broadly right, and for many investors it made a meaningful difference. Moving from a two percent mutual fund into a…
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This Is A Retirement Plan
Robb Engen | January 16, 2026 |
Most people who reach out to me aren’t necessarily trying to retire early or do anything particularly clever with their money. They’ve worked for a long time, saved steadily, and are starting to wonder if this is the point where work becomes optional. Dan and Elizabeth are a good example of this. They live in…
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Out Of The Box RRSP Ideas For Retirement
Robb Engen | January 10, 2026 |
A lot of RRSP advice follows a similar script. Contribute while you’re working, convert to a RRIF at 71, withdraw the minimum, and hope for the best. But retirement planning is where the interesting stuff actually happens. With a bit of flexibility and good timing, RRSPs can be used in ways that smooth taxes, improve…
Investment Returns For 2025
Robb Engen | January 3, 2026 |
After years of watching U.S. markets and mega-cap tech stocks soak up the spotlight, Canadian stocks finally had their moment in 2025 and made it count. The Canadian market went elbows up and steamrolled its global peers, with XIC posting a massive 31.6% return. That’s not just a good year. That’s a statement year. Right…
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Net Worth Update: 2025 Year-End Review
Robb Engen | December 31, 2025 |
A little over six years ago I handed in my resignation at my public sector day job to focus full-time on advice-only financial planning, this blog, and some paid freelance writing work. Suffice to say, that was one of the best decisions of my life. No more Monday morning budget meetings, performance reports, or KPIs….
