Posts by Robb Engen
Weekend Reading: Incompetent Banking Edition
Banks are staying open longer to meet the needs of their busy customers, offering extended weekday hours and opening on weekends. You’d like to think they’d be able to deliver the same level of service during those off-peak hours, but my experience suggested otherwise. My daughter and I walked into a TD branch Saturday afternoon…
Read MoreIs A Sweet Offer Enticing You To Switch Banks? Think Again
Canada’s big banks are trying to lure new customers to switch banks this summer by offering juicy incentives such as free iPads or hundreds of dollars in cash back. Don’t take the bait. To get the sweet bonus you’ll have to sign up for an expensive monthly plan, and/or apply for other products such as…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Back To The Grind Edition
Holiday’s over. Back to the grind. We spent an amazing 10 days exploring the wilderness on Vancouver Island. It was a much needed break, both for the family and for me personally to recharge my batteries and get the creative juices flowing again. I’m coming back full of ideas to share on this blog and…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Summer Vacation Edition
I’m typing this edition of weekend reading on the deck of our summer vacation rental in Port Renfrew, taking in this breathtaking view of Port San Juan. Yesterday we watched two bald eagles dive from the tree tops towards the water to dine on fish, spotted a family of hummingbirds sipping nectar from nearby flowers,…
Read MoreFinancing A Vehicle? Here Are Some Pitfalls To Avoid
Information asymmetry occurs when one party in a transaction has more or better information than the other. I can’t think of a situation where this imbalance of power is more often on display than when it comes to buying a car. Think about it. The salesperson shows you a couple of vehicles, you take one…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Happy Canada Day Edition
For the past two years we’ve celebrated Canada Day in Waterton Lakes National Park, the crown jewel of southwestern Alberta. Entry to the park was free last year for Canada’s 150th birthday, which brought an unprecedented number of visitors to the area. Unfortunately, Waterton was hit hard by the devastating Kenow wildfire last September, a…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2018 Mid-Year Review
It’s the end of June and that means it’s time to check in on our financial progress for the year and update our net worth statement. At the end of 2017 I shared our household net worth had reached $635,000+ and that our goal is to reach $750,000 by the end of 2018. The bigger…
Read MoreVanguard Enters Canadian Mutual Fund Market With Four Actively Managed Funds
Vanguard is eying the $1.5 trillion Canadian mutual fund market and dipping its toes in with the launch of four new actively managed products. The investment giant is best known north of the border for its low cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but is no stranger to mutual funds, where Vanguard cut its teeth decades ago…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Vancouver Island Break Edition
Our kids’ activities wrapped up this weekend and now we’re inching ever so closer to summer vacation. Soon we’ll be heading out to Vancouver Island for 10 days of rejuvenation and exploration along the Pacific coast at the end (or the start) of the breathtaking West Coast Trail. The trip will be a first for…
Read MoreDisappointing Day For Canadian Investors: No Ban On Embedded Commissions
In what should have been a historic day for Canadian investors, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) instead disappointed with watered down reforms that skirt around the edges of true investor reform. What investor advocates wanted was a ban on embedded commissions charged from mutual fund sales, and for the industry to adopt a best interest…
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