On July 15, 2023, the Toronto Star published a lengthy article, written by Richard Warnica, about the unregulated services of a debt consultant. While the story focuses on an individual and a particular debt consultancy firm, the context applies to a broad swath of the...
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Can You Be an Anti-Capitalist Investor? Investing, as we conventionally understand the word, is a deeply capitalist enterprise. So, if you find capitalism to be a deeply flawed economic and social system, is there a way to save, invest, and build wealth in a manner that...
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As an advice-only financial planner, a blog post about why people hire advisors to help with their finances may seem self-serving. Indeed, one of the reasons I write blog posts is to give readers some insight into the mindset and analyses that can help them...
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An Honour? Many people may regard being named an executor as an honour. There is a sense that your appointment in the will means that you are trustworthy and competent to complete the task. However, while someone named to the role of executor should indeed be trustworthy...
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Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger...
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Take CPP at 60; Take OAS at 65 Deciding when to begin Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Old Age Security (OAS) may not be a problem for many Canadians. The default choice is to take it as early as possible. Low-Income Earners Indeed, for some taking CPP at...
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A Recap Almost four years ago, I left a career in the investment industry that began in 2005, working for the online brokerage of one of the big banks. For the first several years, I was licensed to serve U.S. investors, or more commonly, active traders...
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I think Gordon Pape Got it Wrong For the most part, I can read investment columnist Gordon Pape’s writings with composure. Every once in a while, however, he writes things that I think just aren’t so. His article, Diversifying your portfolio – how much is too...
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Retirement is a significant milestone in one's life, representing a well-deserved transition from the daily grind to a more relaxed and fulfilling chapter. However, for many Canadians, the path to a worry-free retirement can be filled with uncertainties and financial challenges. In this blog post,...
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Emily Emily sat at her kitchen table, staring at the third credit card bill. It was maxed out, just like the other two. Overwhelmed and angry at herself, panic started to creep in. How did she end up in this situation? She used to pay off...
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