2024 Financial Goals Check-up

2024 Financial Goals Check-up

I’ve been blogging for nearly 15 years and one reason I keep things going here (admittedly more infrequently than I’d like) is that I thoroughly enjoy looking back at old articles, especially when it comes to financial goals. In fact, one of my favourite posts of all time is a 2019 net worth update when…

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Weekend Reading: TFSA Snowball Edition

Weekend Reading TFSA Snowball Edition

I’ve been toying with a savings concept that I’m tentatively calling the TFSA snowball. It’s a play on Dave Ramsay’s “debt snowball” method (his one positive contribution to society) where borrowers pay off their smallest loan balance first, then roll those freed-up payments into the next smallest balance. Rinse and repeat until debt free. Related:…

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Weekend Reading: Lifestyle Creep Edition

Weekend Reading Lifestyle Creep Edition

I swear half my job is to convince my frugal clients to spend a bit more money. I’m not talking about making a complete 180 degree turn to become a different person. But if you’ve always stayed at a Best Western, then an upgrade to the Ritz every once in a while won’t kill you.…

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Weekend Reading: Renting Vs. Buying Edition

Renting Vs. Buying Edition

Canadians are nuts for home ownership, but with real estate prices soaring to unaffordable levels in many areas of the country it has become increasingly difficult to buy a home. Still, the prevailing narrative around renting vs. buying is that renting is throwing away money and buying is a surefire path to building wealth. That…

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Weekend Reading: Retirement Mistakes To Avoid Edition

Retirement Mistakes To Avoid Edition

Retirement is often put on a pedestal – the pinnacle of achievement after a decades-long career. But the transition from full-time work to full-time leisure can be challenging, both financially and psychologically, if you’re not prepared to meet them. I’ve witnessed these challenges firsthand working with hundreds of retirees over the years. Here are four…

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Two Types Of Overconfident Investors

Two Types Of Overconfident Investors

I started investing in individual stocks shortly after the Great Financial Crisis ended in 2009. I picked an investing strategy that closely resembled the Dogs of the TSX, buying the 10 highest yielding Canadian dividend stocks. As you can imagine, the share prices of these companies got hammered during the stock market crash so I…

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Top ETFs and Model Portfolios for Canadian Investors

Top ETFs and Model Portfolios for Canadian Investors

The investing landscape has certainly evolved for the better over the past two decades. Gone are the days when the only way to invest was to work with an expensive broker or mutual fund salesperson. Self-directed investing platforms, robo-advisors, and all-in-one ETFs have democratized investing – making it cheap and accessible for investors to build…

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