“Would it surprise you to know the number is $1.7 million?” You may be familiar with the commercial from Qtrade, the Vancouver-based online investment platform that partners with most of the credit unions in Canada. An interviewer asks a series of people on the streets what...
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Jonathan Clements, author, founder and editor of the HumbleDollar blog, and former personal finance columnist at the Wall Street Journal, recently wrote of his diagnosis with metastasized lung cancer. He is not alone, of course. I’m sure that almost all of us can name a...
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It was a typical Saturday morning at the local diner, where Lee, John, Dave, and Bob gathered for their usual breakfast and discussion about investments and the economy. This weekend, the hot topic was the recent decision by the Bank of Canada to reduce the...
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Retire Now? I am fascinated by the number of videos that show up on YouTube extolling the virtues of early retirement. Often, they will have a catchy title like, “Why Wait? Retire Now!” or something similar. Oddly enough, despite the increasing interest in retiring early, trends...
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Meet June and Jack, a Canadian couple in their mid-30s. They’ve been diligent about saving and investing, but as they sat down to review their Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), they were alarmed by the numbers they saw. Despite their best...
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FPAC Pro Bono Planning I am a member of the Financial Planning Association of Canada™ (FPAC). Our mission is to build the practice of financial planning into a principled and client-centred profession. Among FPAC’s activities, such as advocacy before governments and regulators (I am a member...
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Bank reputations are “in the toilet” The recent CBC Marketplace story on the sales culture inside the banks has proven to be a cautionary tale when it comes to using the banks for transacting in your financial business. As for the topic of this blog post,...
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Imagine you’re at a bustling farmers market in Ottawa. You see a vendor selling beautiful, handcrafted jewelry. You’re drawn to a stunning necklace, but it’s a bit pricey. You decide to buy it anyway, using your financial capital. As you chat with the vendor, you...
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Implications for Canadian Investors Lee is a diligent Canadian investor who has been carefully building an investment portfolio over the years. Lee’s financial journey includes a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), and a substantial non-registered account. Let’s examine Lee’s story and...
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Introduction Concrete financial milestones can serve as checkpoints on your path to financial stability. From paying off student loans to leaving a financial legacy for the next generation or a charity, each milestone represents a significant achievement along your financial journey. In this blog post, I...
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