Posts by Robb Engen
CRM2 Is Here (Finally!): What Investors Need To Know
The final stage of implementation for phase two of the client relationship model (CRM2) comes into effect today. What it means for Canadian investors is that they’ll begin to receive some much needed disclosure about investment fees and performance. Under the directive of the Canadian Securities Administrators, financial institutions are required to send two new mandatory…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To Air Miles
Dear Air Miles, we need to talk about your loyalty program and how you’re treating collectors. It was nearly five years ago when you announced major changes to your rewards program. The introduction of Air Miles Cash, which gave collectors the ability to redeem rewards miles instantly at various retailers, was a welcome addition for…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Major Media Mention Edition
Welcome to the weekend! I was thrilled to be featured in this CBC story about Air Miles and how miles earned before 2012 are set to expire at the end of this year. The author, Sophia Harris, was a pleasure to work with and, incredibly, turned this story around in just a couple of days.…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2016 Mid-Year Review
We’ve reached the halfway point of 2016 so it’s once again time to take a deeper look at my finances and update my net worth. This year has been fairly quiet on the financial front. I continued to simplify our investments, this time by transferring a small RRSP account from Tangerine over to our TD…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Canada Child Benefit Edition
Happy Canada Day weekend! We spent Friday exploring the beautiful Waterton Lake area and took a boat cruise across the International border to Goat Haunt, Montana. Canada and the U.S. have an interesting way to separate their borders along the 49th parallel – by clearing a section of forest 10 feet on either side of the…
Read MoreShould Investors Brexit The Stock Market?
The long term economic and cultural fallout over Brexit is still very much up in the air. What is crystal clear, however, is that investors, economists, and market pundits overreacted (again) to the news of Britain’s departure from the European Union. Stock markets took a sharp decline late last week and investors were treated to headlines such…
Read MoreThe Right Way To Calculate Net Worth
It’s normal to compare your financial situation with others to see how your finances measure up. Indeed, if you’ve ever calculated your net worth, or even tracked your spending, you probably enjoy reading other net worth reports and spending journals. The problem with this type of financial voyeurism is that we’re often comparing apples and…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Scotia Twitter Chat Edition
What a crazy week! First, perhaps taking a cue from my pro-CPP expansion article, the federal government and most provinces agreed on CPP reform, with premiums set to increase in 2019. This surprisingly quick compromise got the internet buzzing for a better part of the week. Then Brexit happened. Brexit, or British exit, referred to…
Read MoreCanada Pension Plan Expansion: Why It Matters
Finance Ministers from across the country meet today in Vancouver to discuss CPP expansion. At stake is not just about whether we should expand the Canada Pension Plan, but how it should be phased-in and who will benefit. One proposal will see sweeping changes across the board both in terms of higher benefits and premiums paid…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Walmart Battles Visa Edition
Walmart took a shot at Visa last weekend by announcing it would no longer accept Visa cards in its more than 400 stores across Canada. A statement issued by the retail giant blamed Visa for charging unfair fees on credit card transactions – which Walmart claims are four times higher than what consumers pay in other…
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