The Problem – Choosing the Right US Market Exposure You’ve decided to add US equities to your portfolio but now comes the tricky part—choosing between the S&P 500 or a total US market ETF. They both sound great, but which is right for you? If you follow...
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The Lure of the Tax-Free Millionaire Dream Larry MacDonald of The Globe and Mail has highlighted remarkable success stories of investors turning their Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) into million-dollar windfalls. With $102,000 in cumulative TFSA contribution room as of January 1, 2025 (for those eligible since...
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Investing on your own can be rewarding, but it’s not without its difficulties. Adam Bornn, from Parallel Wealth, highlights eight challenges DIY investors often face in his YouTube video, "8 Hidden Challenges Every Investor Should Know." While Adam provides valuable insights, his perspective seems to assume...
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Market Forecasts Are a Problem The Issue Back in my discount brokerage days when I was licensed for US investors, I once spoke to a person who held only cash in what was left of his investment portfolio. He had sold his stock holdings shortly after Barack...
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The Trouble The Overconfident Investor Andrew, 40 years old, single, and an always-in-demand skilled tradesman in the Greater Toronto Area, believes he has cracked the code for successful stock trading. Armed with flashy charts and tables as well as stories of success he’s read in the Facebook...
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Balancing Taxes, Investments, and Borrowing As Edi and Roy approached their retirement, they faced a common financial planning challenge: how to fund a $200,000 renovation to their home without derailing their carefully laid plans. With a healthy $3.5 million in assets split across joint non-registered accounts,...
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The Income and Wealth Gap The Context An unattached Canadian is a person not in an “economic family,” that is, a person living either alone or with others to whom he or she is unrelated, such as roommates or a lodger. Unattached Canadians are a growing demographic...
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Dan Bortolotti of Canadian Couch Potato fame once ran an active podcast that included a segment entitled “Bad Investment Advice” (complete with spooky sound effects – oh, the horror!). He is now going to be a regular guest on the Rational Reminder podcast, which means...
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“A million dollars isn’t what it used to be.” Even with low inflation that saying is true. Depending on where you live, your home may easily be worth over a million dollars. To my surprise, there are over three hundred $1,000,000+ listings within the city...
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I follow a few Facebook pages that have to do with personal finance, retirement, etc. In a post, a man I’ll call Alan is 35 years old and has recently received a $100,000 inheritance that he hopes to use to build up his retirement savings....
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