Weekend Reading: Where Are My Customers’ Yachts Edition
Author Fred Schwed gave us his cynical take-down of Wall Street back in 1940 with the hilariously written, Where Are the Customers’ Yachts?. The book amazingly still holds up today in a world where investment advisors get rich while their customers, well, not so much. “The title refers to a story about a visitor to…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Bitcoin, CPP, and Dividends Edition
The price of bitcoin is surging again and recently surpassed all-time highs. That has brought all of the ‘crypto bros’ out of hibernation to gloat about bitcoin taking over the financial system (or whatever they think happens next). Shares of NVIDIA Corp are also soaring to new heights. The semi-conductor company recently surpassed $2 trillion…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Replenishing Travel Points Edition
We spent a few years building up a massive bank of travel points before our first trip to the U.K. in 2019. Indeed, we put nearly 1 million travel points to work booking flights and hotels for a 32-day trip to Scotland and Ireland. Then we went back to work replenishing travel points for our…
Read MoreDIY Canadian Retirement Planning With Kyle Prevost
“Will I be OK in Retirement?” “How much do I save this year if I don’t want to have to eat pet food when I’m 83?” “What do most Canadians spend each month after they retire? I don’t even know where to start with this stuff!” In response to questions like this, most mutual fund…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: When To RRIF Edition
One chief concern for retirees and the soon-to-be retired is when to convert their RRSP to a RRIF. A common misperception is that this conversion has to take place in the year you turn 71. While it’s true that your RRSP must be closed by December 31st of the year you turn 71 and the…
Read MoreAdvanced Term Life Insurance
Readers of Boomer and Echo are likely familiar with term life insurance (see B&E’s previous article on insurance). In years past, simply going to a life insurance shopping website and comparing premiums was sufficient – and that article talks about doing exactly that. But things have changed. Companies are tinkering with their term life insurance…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Funding A Good Life Edition
Over the holidays I made a spending and savings plan for the new year. I reviewed our previous year’s finances and incorporated our new financial goals for the year. My wife and I discussed our “rich life” vision – what we want to do more of, what we what to do less of, what new…
Read MoreRRSP Over Contribution Limit And Carry Forward Rules
Your current year’s RRSP contribution limit is 18% of your previous year’s earned income, to a maximum of $31,560 (2024) plus any unused contribution room carried forward from previous years. There’s some confusion around the RRSP over contribution limit and RRSP carry forward rules. This post explains both of these rules. RRSP Over Contribution Limit…
Read MoreInvestment Returns for 2023
Stock markets rebounded in a big way last year after a taking it on the chin in 2022. It was technology stocks once again leading the way – with the NASDAQ gaining 52.28% (XQQ) in 2023. The vaunted S&P 500 also posted an impressive 24.39% gain in 2023 after falling nearly 20% in 2022 (XSP).…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2023 Year-End Review
This year turned out to be a great one, both financially and for our lifestyle. We got everything we wanted out of our new house. We love having a dedicated office space and a home gym. Our kids can easily walk to school. Our dog even has a huge field in which to run around…
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