It’s always a bit sad when someone unsubscribes from our newsletter, especially when a long-time reader moves on. But I couldn’t help but get a warm feeling this week after receiving a notification that one of our loyal readers unsubscribed:
“You helped inspire me toward retirement with good financial planning over a several year period. I’ve been retired two years now & find many articles no longer interest me. I spend more time reading about my hobbies than money – a good thing! Thank you for the education and information.”
We also get quite a few emails from readers who have passed along our newsletter to their children (or parents!), and for that we are grateful.
There’s always going to be a period in your life when you’re laser-focused on something related to personal finance, whether it’s digging yourself out of debt, preparing for a major event such as a career change, maternity leave, or a move, or as you buckle-down and get ready to retire.
As personal finance bloggers, we’re thrilled to be part of that journey – no matter what age and stage you’re in.
A Boomer & Echo meet-up
Blogging has been a great way for my mom and I to stay close and keep the communication lines open, but with over 800 kilometres separating Kelowna B.C. from Lethbridge, AB, we don’t get a chance to see each other that often.
That’s why it was great to have my mom over to visit and take part in a busy week of activities with our family.
We capped off the week with a trip out to Waterton Lakes National Park – a great way to spend Earth Day on a gorgeous April day in the park with family.
Investing with Wealthsimple
If you’ve been reading Boomer & Echo for a while you’ll know that I’m a big fan of simplifying your finances by investing in a low cost, broadly diversified basket of index funds or ETFs. One of the best ways to do this is by using a robo-advisor – an online automated investing service that takes all of the guesswork out of investing.
We’ve partnered with one of Canada’s leading robo-advisors – Wealthsimple – to offer an incentive where Boomer & Echo readers get a special $50 bonus when they open up a new Wealthsimple account.
This week’s recap:
On Monday I urged readers to shop around for car insurance instead of blindly accepting increases to their premiums every year.
On Wednesday Marie explained the ins and outs of income trusts, including the famous Halloween massacre.
And on Friday Marie outlined a scenario on how to withdraw money from your retirement nest egg.
Remember, you can keep up with the latest articles and tips on Boomer & Echo by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter.
Weekend reading:
The Million Dollar Journey blog looks at airport lounge passes and wonders whether this perk is worth the cost.
Dan Wesley at Our Big Fat Wallet describes how he negotiated to waive his annual credit card fee (with Capital One).
Norm Rothery generated a lot of interest in a recent MoneySense article with the hot potato investing strategy – an active twist on the traditional coach potato approach.
John Robertson takes a closer look at the hot potato and says “proceed with caution”.
Speaking of couch potatoes, Dan Bortolotti says target date funds are a reasonable alternative to random mutual funds, but with one caveat: watch the fees.
(In case you missed it: My take on using target date funds inside your RESP).
Jonathan Chevreau says robo-advisors and ETFs prove it’s time for a new financial advice fee structure.
The rise of the most powerful idea in investing – the shift from active to passive investment management.
Did you know: Up to 1.1 million disabled Canadians are eligible for free money from Ottawa?
The skinny basic cable idea is flopping by every measure.
Another iconic musician passed away suddenly when Prince died in his recording studio on Thursday. Here’s a great read on how Prince rebelled against the music industry.
This Esquire piece is worth a read: 4 men with 4 very different incomes open up about the lives they can afford.
The post inspired A Wealth of Common Sense blogger Ben Carlson to write about why personal finance is personal.
This just in: Fancy juice doesn’t cleanse the body of toxins.
“People are interested in this so-called detoxification, but when I ask them what they are trying to get rid of, they aren’t really sure,” said Dr. James H. Grendell, the chief of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. “I’ve yet to find someone who has specified a toxin they were hoping to be spared.”
The secret shame of middle-class Americans: nearly half would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency.
Helaine Olen can’t sympathize with the article above, which she calls, “A buzzy Atlantic essay details the dire financial straits of a journalist living in the Hamptons. Great work if you can get it!”
This resume for Tesla CEO Elon Musk proves you never, ever, need to use more than one page.
Children as young as five are getting their own debit and credit cards – When kids’ allowance goes digital.
Michael James offers 4 good reasons to pay cash for cars.
Finally, a tech blogger talks about tech fatigue:
At some point, everything new feels old, everything different feels dumb.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
