As I write this on Monday, April 7, 2025, the repercussions of U.S. President Trump’s tariffs continue to roil the stock market. Many readers, especially those in their 50s, 60s, and older, who have likely accumulated significant investment assets over their lives, are probably down...
Read More
The Problem Emerges Margaret's Situation At 75, and recently widowed, Margaret has decided to sell her detached home in British Columbia. She's in good health but wants to eliminate the responsibilities of homeownership. The Dilemma With anticipated net sale proceeds of $800,000, Margaret is faced with a decision about...
Read More
The Unexpected Problem: Nature Risk Our home insurance renews at the end of January every year. In December, we received a document from our insurance broker informing us that the insurance company we had been using for the last several years was removing “overland water (flood)...
Read More
There Are Too Many ETFs It wasn’t that many years ago when I was barely aware that Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) existed. After a few years, the benefits of ETFs began to appear. They were a remarkably low-cost way to get broad-market exposure to the world’s investment...
Read More
The Problem: Sequence Risk Meets Longevity Risk David and Marie are a 65-year-old married couple preparing for retirement. With $1 million spread across Defined Contribution (DC) pensions, RRSPs, TFSAs, and non-registered accounts, they feel a quiet contentment about reaching this financial milestone. However, recent events have...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More