Weekend Reading: Sell or Hold Edition

When faced with an investment that has substantially increased in value one of the hardest decisions investors have to make is whether to sell or hold. A reader of behavioural psychologist Dan Ariely’s blog asked this question about an investment he made in bitcoin that had increased in value by an incredible 4,000%. He wanted…

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Weekend Reading: Pursue Your Passion Edition

I’ve argued before that doing what you love won’t necessarily pay the bills and so the best way to pursue your passion might be on a freelance basis or as a side business while you maintain a regular day job. This blog is a perfect example. It started out as a hobby and an outlet…

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Weekend Reading: Tax Changes and RRSPs Edition

I got my T4 this week and, with the 2015 RRSP contribution deadline just around the corner, my thoughts have turned to tax season and making sure I do everything I can (within reason) to reduce the amount of tax I pay this year. A new government, both provincially here in Alberta and federally, means some…

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Weekend Reading: TD Twitter Chat Edition

I should have known better than to check my investment statements online this past weekend. I knew from the daily barrage of headlines that it had been a tough start to the year for investors. I didn’t know it was this bad. Both my RRSP and RESP portfolios were down 6.4% in the month of January…

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Weekend Reading: Why Target Canada Failed Edition

I remember in school studying some of the most spectacular international business failures – think Eurodisney, Nestle in Africa, Walmart in Germany. Add ‘Target in Canada’ to the list for business students to dissect for the next few decades. Canadian Business published a terrific long-read of Target’s last days in Canada, explaining how the company went…

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Weekend Reading: Housing Buys, Booms, and Busts Edition

Check out this fantastic piece by Financial Post reporter Garry Marr on wild tales of buys, booms, and busts in the Canadian housing market – including a video interview with 100-year-old Ralph Etigson who discusses his housing purchases in Toronto over the last 75 years. Mr. Etigson bought a bungalow for $3,500 in 1945, sold it…

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Weekend Reading: New Look Edition

Our blog got a bit of a makeover during the holiday season thanks to Justin Bouchard at Top Shelf Web Solutions. We’ll call it a new look and feel, but with a layout similar to the old design so readers won’t get lost while navigating around the site. Let us know what you think of the update, and give…

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Weekend Reading: 2015 Farewell Edition

With the year quickly winding down I wanted to publish one final edition of weekend reading before we break for the holidays. Expect to see new articles published here on Monday and Wednesday for each of the next two weeks before we get back to our regular posting schedule in the new year. In the meantime, thanks for reading and…

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Weekend Reading: Clarifying New Rules Edition

The new federal government has proposed changes that will affect your personal finances next year. This edition of weekend reading looks to explain these changes and how they might impact your wallet. Let’s get to it: Minimum Down Payment Increase This week the Liberals introduced changes for minimum down payments on a home purchase. The new rules,…

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