Financial Planning Simplified
I’m Robb — the guy behind Boomer & Echo. I’ve been a personal finance blogger since 2010 and an advice-only financial planner since 2015. I help regular Canadians with regular problems make smarter decisions about their money — without selling them a thing.
My philosophy is simple: Money shouldn’t be complicated.
You don’t need 17 bank accounts, 12 ETFs, or a side hustle to retire comfortably. You just need a good plan, grounded in what really matters to you.
By reading this website you're joining more than 250,000 people who stop by here every month to get tips on how to save money, invest well, and retire comfortably. And, if you choose to subscribe and receive new posts by email, you'll join a growing list of more than 12,000 email subscribers who are the first to get these tips sent straight to their inbox.
New Articles from Robb
Weekend Reading: Nobel Prize Edition
Robb Engen | October 14, 2017 |
One of the most influential books I've ever read was Nudge by behavioural economist Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. The book is all about subtlety or gently steering people into making better choices to improve their health, wealth, and happiness. Policymakers around the world caught on to his groundbreaking research, which have been widely applied…
Turning Your LIRA Into Retirement Income
Boomer | October 12, 2017 |
A reader suggested I expand on my post on converting RRSPs to RRIFs to include locked-in plans. So here it is. Thank you, Frank. What is a LIRA? First, let's review. Employees enrolled in a registered pension plan who remain with their company until the prescribed retirement age will receive income for life from the…
What Hobbies Are On Your Retirement Bucket List?
Boomer | October 10, 2017 |
Remember going to a craft and hobby show, or looking through a magazine, and seeing in your mind’s eye all those great projects you could make? Or watching the sports channel and dreaming about aces, holes-in-one, or the salmon you could catch? When most of us imagine retirement, our minds wander to what we’ll get…
Weekend Reading: Thanksgiving Edition
Robb Engen | October 7, 2017 |
Our inbox is overflowing with questions about investing, so while we answer those individually we're also fairly positive these are burning questions for many of our readers. Look for more investing posts in the coming weeks covering topics such as rebalancing, tax-efficiency, safe withdrawal rates, asset allocation, and much more. For now, enjoy this latest…
What's Not To Love About ETFs?
Robb Engen | October 5, 2017 |
The availability of exchange-traded funds is one of the best things to happen to investors in the last twenty years. What’s not to love about ETFs? Investors can get broad diversification on the cheap with just two or three funds. This simplicity is what tipped the scales for me nearly three years ago when I…
Building Your Wealth: What You Need To Know Before Investing In ETFs
Boomer | October 3, 2017 |
For most Canadians, mutual funds are still the mainstay of their investment portfolios. However, many investors are angry and frustrated with the high fees that are being charged on mutual funds that rarely match let alone outperform the market. Investing in ETFs seems like a good alternative. In some respects, ETFs are similar to mutual…
