Posts by Robb Engen
How CDIC Would Protect Your Deposits If Home Capital Goes Bankrupt
Canada has not seen a bank failure since Security Home Mortgage Corporation, a Calgary-based company, went bankrupt in 1996, putting $42 million in bank deposits at risk. Two decades later we have another mortgage company, Home Capital Group, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Deposits at Home Capital were expected to fall to $192 million this week,…
Read MoreForget the Excuses. Here’s a Brain-Dead Easy Way to Start Investing
Many people know they should invest for the future but for one reason or another the investing can gets kicked down the road. Maybe they’re living paycheque to paycheque and can’t free up enough cash to invest, or they simply don’t have time to make an appointment with an advisor to draw up an investment…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Teaching Financial Literacy Edition
“We really ought to teach financial literacy in school.” That’s the default answer from financial experts when we hear another story about Canadians who are up to their eyeballs in debt. It’s not that I disagree – I’d love to see a broad curriculum of age-appropriate financial topics all throughout school. The problem lies in the…
Read MoreWhat Everybody Ought To Know About This Stock And Bond Business
Back in 1946, a man named Louis Engel was hired to run the advertising and promotions at Merrill Lynch. Engel’s unorthodox approach to advertising resulted in thousands of leads for Merrill Lynch brokers nation-wide. How did he turn the investment industry on its head? By taking the investment broker lingo out of its advertisements, simplifying the message,…
Read MoreThe Biggest Lie in Investing: Protection on the Downside
Imagine for a moment that you’re a small business owner in your late forties. Over the years you’ve worked hard to build up your company; a strip mall that consists of a car wash, gas station, and liquor store. With most of your assets tied up in the small business you don’t have much else in terms of…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Home Capital Meltdown Edition
Home Capital Group is teetering on bankruptcy after a wild week that saw its shares plunge 65 percent Wednesday. The former dividend darling and sub-prime lender sought out $2 billion in funding just to stay afloat after a run on its bank deposits could leave the company with just over $500 million in cash –…
Read MoreThe Long and Short of it: A Look at Long-Term vs. Short-Term Mortgages
Interest rates have nowhere to go but up. No doubt you’ve heard this line if you’ve bought a home or had to renew your mortgage at some point in the past decade, followed by an eager banker or mortgage broker urging you to “lock-in” now. Most homeowners in Canada prefer fixed rate terms for predictability and…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Rocky Mountain Edition
We spent the last few days in Canmore / Banff enjoying the breathtaking scenery in Kananaskis Country and the Rocky Mountains. The kids loved Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Banff Springs and the highlight of our trip was taking the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain to check out the 360-degree observation deck, stroll along the ridgetop…
Read MoreEaster Weekend Reading
Long weekends for most people are a time to rest and relax with loved ones, maybe get away for a couple of nights to a hotel or out to the cottage. I enjoy R&R as much as the next guy, but for me nothing beats a long weekend to work on my side hustle and make some…
Read MoreTop 3 Cash Back and Travel Rewards Credit Cards for 2017
A credit card with a good travel rewards program can earn you big perks such as free flights and hotel stays, which is why Canadians tend to prefer travel rewards cards over their cash-back cousins. But last year’s Air Miles debacle left customers with a bad taste in their mouths. Sure, earning travel points was easy.…
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