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...
Read MoreAfter the cloudy days of preparing and filing your tax return, many Canadians look forward to the silver lining of a tax refund. Last year I wrote about The Problem with Tax Refunds, arguing that rather than a benefit, refunds represent an interest-free loan to...
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Ten percent per year! That’s a nice round number and what many investors think is a realistic annual investment return. At that rate, following the “Rule of 72,” you will double your account value in 7.2 years – without adding an extra dollar! Let’s imagine that...
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Your financial advisor isn’t dishonest; he’s just incompetent. That is the TL:DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) conclusion of a 2016 academic paper, “The Misguided Beliefs of Financial Advisors,” by Juhani T. Linnainmaa, Brian T. Melzer, and Alessandro Previtero. For many years, the common view of...
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Introduction Definition of Socially Responsible Investing Socially responsible investing, also known by other terms such as responsible, sustainable, or ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing, is a practice that uses various socially beneficial criteria to seek out securities to invest in. Importance of Socially Responsible Investing Investing has generally...
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Introduction Estate planning involves preparing for the tasks that must be undertaken in the event of your death or incapacity. While death is inevitable regardless of your preparation or lack thereof, preparation in the form of a well-considered will can make life for your survivors much...
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