Last week, in my 224th blog post, I introduced Gregory (Greg) and Olivia, a young married couple who had bought a house in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). They considered two common ways to reduce the interest they would pay over the life of their...
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The Current Situation A young married couple, Gregory and Olivia, live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). They bought a home two years ago for $1 million. With a 20% down payment, they borrowed $800,000 to enable the house purchase. The terms of the mortgage are as...
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Meet Emma and Roy, a couple from Winnipeg eagerly counting down the days to their retirement, just five years away. Aware of the importance of careful financial planning, they decide to engage an advice-only financial planner to support their transition into their “golden years.” Step 1:...
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After going grocery shopping on the weekend and not buying a single thing that was on sale – I hope my wife doesn’t read this! – I decided it was time for me to dig into a smarter approach to buying food as one of...
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There is a lot to be said in favour of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investing. The barriers (online access, real-time quotes, lower costs, etc.) have come down dramatically in recent years. Simultaneously, I would argue, the fact that there are fewer barriers means that the DIYer has...
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The Dilemma: What Should She Do with Her Money? Marie, 67 years old, was widowed three years ago after forty years of marriage. Together, she and her husband Robert had raised their family of three children and created thousands of memories together in the house that...
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Recently, I’ve been thinking about saving versus investing or the idea of engaging in “risky” investments versus “safe” interest-bearing deposit products. This idea came to mind again because of the findings presented in my last blog post that financial planners in Japan did not tend...
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Certified Financial Planners in Japan According to the Professional Planner, an Australian publication, as of the end of 2022, Japan had the world’s third-largest group of CFP professionals at 25,098, behind the United States (95,137) and the People’s Republic of China (30,182), and just ahead of...
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Banking You may be aware that some political parties and union advocates have argued that, to develop Canada Post’s viability, financial services should be offered at post office branches. I am not sure how common that is in other countries, but Japan’s post offices have long...
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Above: One of the shinkansen (新幹線), pulling into Fukuyama Station, Hiroshima. Rail Transportation My wife and I each bought three-week Japan Rail Passes. These passes, which can be purchased for one or two-week periods as well, allow access to the entirety of the Japan Railways (JR) system,...
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