Archive for October 2015
Do Millennials Really Fear The Stock Market?
New research from investment management firm BlackRock suggests that Millennials are fearful of the stock market and sitting on too much cash in their accounts. It got me thinking – do Millennials fear the stock market? Or are there other factors at work? Millennials came of age during the global financial crisis and Bernie Madoff Ponzi…
Read MoreFinancial Management By The Decade: The 20’s
Your twenties are exciting years, full of big changes and all kinds of opportunities – finishing university or college, starting a full-time job, seeing a regular paycheque for the first time. Maybe you’re moving into your own place. Or, perhaps you’ve been working for a while and you’re ready to start setting some financial goals.…
Read MoreIs My Two-ETF Portfolio Too Simple?
I get plenty of questions about my two-ETF retirement portfolio. Some advisors think it’s too simple – stating that a properly diversified portfolio should contain at least six asset classes. Further to that, some clients and blog readers ask me whether it’s wise to add a dash of gold, REITs, or even farmland to their…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Problems With Trailer Fees Edition
The Canadian Securities Administration wants to reform the mutual fund fee structure in Canada and earlier this year awarded two studies to review whether commission-based compensation changes the nature of advice and influences mutual fund sales. The first report was prepared by the Brondesbury Group made it clear that commission-based advice creates problems that need to be…
Read MoreHow To Set Up An RESP
My wife and I made it a priority to set up an RESP for our daughter just a few weeks after she was born. As new parents with little free time we weren’t sure where to go and what type of account to set up. To complicate matters, we were bombarded with pamphlets and brochures promoting group…
Read MoreThe Real Cost Of Starting A Family
Having a child is a life-changing event that few of us can ever truly be prepared for. The enormous responsibility of having a little one completely and solely dependent upon you, as well as the absolute joy this little being will bring, can be overwhelming. You can plan as much as you want, but most…
Read MoreWhen To Take CPP: Early, Late or Somewhere In-Between
One of the biggest decisions as you edge closer to retirement is when to take CPP. The standard age to take your Canada Pension Plan benefits is when you turn 65; but you can take a reduced CPP retirement pension as early as 60, or you can get an increased benefit by delaying CPP up to…
Read More5 Ways To Take Control Of Your Money
There’s an ‘a ha’ moment for many people when they decide to get serious about their finances. It may come after years of drowning in debt or after reaching a milestone like marriage or having children. If now is your moment, here are five ways to take control of your money: Get going: Step one…
Read MoreHow Canadians Spend Their Money
We all like to compare ourselves with others when it comes to our financial affairs to see how we are doing. The most recent Statistics Canada compilation of how Canadians spend their money shows an average spending pattern. Figures are from 2013 – so a bit dated considering economics in the past year – but…
Read MoreHow First-Time Home Buyers Are Getting Into The Market
No generation has had a tougher time getting into the housing market than Generation Y. Indeed, the deck is stacked against Millennials, many of whom are burdened with crushing student debt loads, grim job prospects, and limited wage growth in a stagnant economy. Furthermore, the federal government cracked down on 40-and-35-year amortization mortgages, mostly to…
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