Posts by Robb Engen
Retiring with Debt? It’s Not Always a Mistake
We’re often told to do everything we can to retire debt-free – that hanging onto a mortgage or car loan in retirement is a recipe for disaster. But like most blanket financial advice, context matters. And for many Canadians heading into retirement, especially those with defined benefit pensions and guaranteed government income, carrying a modest…
Read MoreWill AI Replace Financial Planners?
I like to think of myself as an emotionless robot when it comes to investing. Buy a single, low-cost, globally diversified, and risk-appropriate asset allocation ETF – contribute to it regularly, and move on with your life. It’s the same mindset I encourage my clients to adopt. Focus on what you can control, make evidence-based…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Controversial Takes in Personal Finance Edition
Some personal finance topics spark polite debate. Others? They ignite full-blown identity crises. In his latest video, Ben Felix dives into three of the most emotionally charged subjects in personal finance: renting vs. owning, dividend investing, and FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). He explains why these topics go well beyond spreadsheets – they challenge our…
Read MoreA Smarter Way to Spend Without Stress in Retirement
A few years ago, I shared a simple yet powerful idea for managing your portfolio in retirement: hold a low-cost, globally diversified equity ETF for long-term growth, and pair it with a high-interest savings ETF or money market fund to cover short-term cash flow needs (12-24 months). I called it a two-fund solution, and the…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Your Health is Wealth Edition
I went to bed after a perfectly normal Wednesday and woke up at 3am with my heart racing. I got up, went to the bathroom, and tried to get back to sleep – tossing and turning for a few hours before getting up for good around 5:30am. I felt okay(ish) and went downstairs for an…
Read MoreSpend the Money: Tackling the Emotional Side of Retirement Planning
I’ve spent a lot of time helping people figure out if they can retire. But what surprises many is that the harder part often comes after that: convincing them it’s okay to actually enjoy their money. On a recent episode of The Wealthy Barber Podcast, I talked with Dave Chilton about this very problem –…
Read MoreThe Most Difficult Account For Investors To Manage
I recently made a bold change to de-risk my portfolio, which now consists of just 35% globally equities and 65% short-term bonds. This wasn’t in response to tariffs and global trade wars, or my gut feeling about stock markets crashing in the near term. No, this was a predetermined change in a specific account type…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: A Taxing Decision Edition
For years I’ve wrestled with the taxing decision of whether to pay ourselves dividends or salary (or some combination of the two). For background, my wife and I co-own and operate our corporation, which includes our financial planning business, this blog, and some freelance writing work. We’ve always paid ourselves an equal amount of dividends…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Is Stay The Course Helpful Advice Edition
Global stocks fell sharply on Thursday and Friday after US President Donald Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs went into effect. Whether the President is being deliberately obtuse about the economic upheaval these tariffs will cause, or if he’s playing chess while the rest of the world is playing checkers is anyone’s guess. What investors want…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: That’s Why You Diversify Edition
My inbox has been flooded lately with worried investors who feel anxious about the current market environment. It seems once again we find ourselves in unprecedented times. While the future is always uncertain, the stock market is a forward-looking machine and is constantly gathering new information to assess the outlook of individual companies and the…
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