Weekend Reading: Finances in Flux Edition
Regular readers know that I update and post my net worth twice a year, including a year-end summary. They should also know that I didn’t post an update at the end of 2022. It’s not because I’m embarrassed that my portfolio suffered losses for the first time in recent memory. That’s a feature of financial…
Read MoreThe Beginner’s Guide To RRSPs
More than sixty years after the federal government introduced the Registered Retirement Savings Plan as a vehicle to save for the future, RRSPs still remain one of the cornerstones of retirement planning for Canadians. In fact, as employer pension plans become increasingly rare, the ability to save inside an RRSP over the course of a…
Read More3 Investing Headlines To Ignore This Year
Last year was brutal for both stocks and bonds. In the middle of the year, during what turned out to be the market bottom (and inflation peak) I suggested you stop checking your portfolio. This comes from the analogy that your portfolio is like a bar of soap; the more you touch it the smaller…
Read MoreMy Investing And Trading Activity This Year
Investors face countless distractions every year. Whether it’s fear of missing out on this year’s top performing asset, or fear of your existing portfolio losing money, these distractions are designed to make you want to take action (and likely part you from your money). Meanwhile, a successful investment plan is all about setting up a…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Happy Holidays Edition
Welcome to another edition of Weekend Reading! I’m on holidays but I wanted to share a quick update and thank you to all of my readers and clients for your support this year. I started this blog back in 2010 during what I’d call the height of popularity for personal finance blogs. Today, the preferred…
Read MoreHow To Think About Retirement Planning
We all need to think about retirement planning at some point in our lives. Relying on rules of thumb like saving 10% of your income or withdrawing 4% of your savings can get you part way there. But it’s also important to think about what retirement will look like for you. When will you retire?…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Personal Inflation Rate Edition
Inflation. It’s on everyone’s mind as the cost of goods and services have been on the rise since early 2021. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures changes in the cost of a fixed basket of goods over time, including food, shelter, transportation, furniture, clothing, and recreation. While inflation may have peaked in June of this…
Read MoreMy 2023 Financial Goals
It’s safe to say that 2022 did not go according to plan. On a macro level we had stubbornly high inflation, rapidly rising interest rates, and falling stock and bond prices. Personally, we managed to execute our revenge travel plans with a week in Maui, three-and-a-half weeks in Italy, three-and-a-half weeks in the U.K, and…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Rental Property Edition
We’re building a new home and should have possession of it sometime in February. I’ve been asked a few times if we are going to hang onto our existing home and rent it out. After I stop laughing I explain why I have no desire to own a rental property. I admit that I have…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Crypto Is Unraveling Edition
It was a sobering week for crypto bros, as yet another epic collapse has exposed the supposed “future of money” as little more than a house of cards. Crypto trading platform FTX, which landed high profile partnerships with the likes of Tom Brady and Steph Curry, and signed a $135M agreement with the Miami Heat…
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