One of the insights from behavioural finance is that we all benefit from systematizing and automating our financial behaviour. Set up your bill payments to come out of your bank account automatically, and you will never worry about missing your payments again. Sign up for...
Read MoreYou have saved steadily throughout your career. You have a Defined Contribution Pension Plan from work, a Locked-In Retirement Account from a previous employer pension, a Registered Retirement Savings Plan, and a Tax-Free Savings Account. You have arrived at the point of retirement. How are...
Read MoreIn earlier years, the incentives to begin your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments at 60 made more sense. However, a few years ago, the Federal government created a compelling incentive to delay taking CPP. First, for each month before age 65 that you begin receiving...
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On February 4, 2021, Rob Carrick, the well-known personal finance columnist at The Globe and Mail, published an article entitled, “Why Canadian investors should stop buying U.S.-listed ETFs.” I tend to agree with Carrick on this point, but his argument is boiled down to two...
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A few years ago, a 30-ish man moved into a house across the street from us. Shortly after, we saw a large bin placed in the driveway and, based on the debris going in, it soon began to look like a good section of the...
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You are careful with your money. You have made it a general rule to avoid debt – except for the mortgage on your home – in order to force yourself to live within your means. Well, you do use a credit card, but you have...
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Year-end lists are ubiquitous but that does not mean they are not useful. If you think you need to do something about your finances before the end of the year but aren’t sure what, maybe something on this list will be of help. Contribute to Your...
Read MoreThere is a temptation to view financial planning as little more than a dressed-up term for investment advice. Having worked in the investment industry for over a decade, it is a view I am tempted to follow. However, financial planning involves a much broader range...
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“If you want good investment performance, forget you have an account.” This seems like an unlikely recommendation. Nor does it sit well with us. “Don’t just sit there; do something!” Isn’t that the usual guidance we receive? However, action doesn’t seem to work so well with...
Read MoreIt is the nature of my profession that I read a lot about personal financial matters. One of the most difficult of such matters has to do with retirement. Financial economists will say that retirement planning is difficult because there are so many variables, or...
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