Why 54% Is All You Need to Be a Great Investor (or Tennis Champion)
A client emailed me recently after a rough week in the markets. She’s a new DIY investor, still getting used to watching her portfolio in real time for the first time after years of never even logging into her old managed accounts. “I’ve been checking the app almost daily – maybe not a good thing,”…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: I Have Concepts Of A Plan Edition
During my recent interview with Dave Chilton on The Wealthy Barber podcast, we got into a question I hear often: when’s the right time to start working with a financial planner on retirement? Our answer wasn’t 65, it was roughly 10 years before you plan to retire. Of course, you can also be too far…
Read MoreHow Our Advice-Only Financial Planning Practice Works
My wife Lindsay and I run an advice-only financial planning practice from our home in Lethbridge, AB. We work with clients virtually across Canada, mostly by email and video call. Clients pay a flat fee of $3,600 + GST for a comprehensive financial plan, investment plan, and detailed retirement income plan — designed to maximize…
Read MoreRetirement Planning for Regular Canadians on The Wealthy Barber Podcast
I am beyond thrilled to share this latest episode of The Wealthy Barber podcast with David Chilton. I was invited back as a return guest to talk about retirement planning for regular Canadians, why retirees struggle to turn off the savings taps and turn on the spending taps, and how my advice-only financial planning model…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: The Worried Wealthy Edition
I work with a lot of clients who have done everything right. They saved diligently throughout their careers, paid off their mortgage, maxed out their registered accounts, and arrived at retirement with more money than they ever expected to have. And yet they’re worried. Not about whether they can afford to retire – they clearly…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Money Makes Money (Sort Of) Edition
I read a Globe and Mail piece by RBC senior portfolio manager Nancy Woods this week, one of those “investing basics” explainers aimed at people just getting started. The hook was a herd-of-cows analogy: your money is the herd, dividends are the milk, price appreciation is the baby cows (the herd growing over time). The…
Read MoreMoney Bag: CAGE, Cash Wedges, and Net Worth Calculations
Welcome to the Money Bag, where I answer questions and address comments from readers on a wide range of money topics, myths, and perceptions about money. No question is off limits, so hit me up in the comments section or send me an email about any money topic that’s on your mind. Today, I’m answering reader questions about…
Read MoreHow to Estimate Your Taxes So You’re Never Surprised
Every spring, two groups of Canadians are equally confused. The first group gets a big tax refund and feels great about it. The second group gets a surprise tax bill and feels terrible. Neither group planned for what happened. A big tax refund means you overpaid taxes throughout the year and handed the government an…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: What Happens to Your Health Benefits When You Retire?
One of the top questions I hear from soon-to-be-retired clients is some version of: “What do I do about health coverage when I leave my employer plan?” The anxiety is real. For decades, benefits were just… there. Dental cleanings, prescriptions, massage, physio – it felt like free money. Now they’re staring down retirement wondering how…
Read MoreThis Is a Retirement Plan (Are We There Yet… or Not?)
Like many soon-to-be retirees, Patricia and Charles are feeling that familiar tension as they approach the finish line. They’ve done a lot right. They’ve built up more than $1.2 million in investments, kept their spending reasonable, and stayed consistent savers throughout their careers. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into confidence. Patricia, as the higher earner,…
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