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,...
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...
Read More“Industry organizations are calling on the federal government to raise the age at which RRSPs must be converted to RRIFs and to reduce the annual RRIF minimum withdrawal rates.” “Industry groups call for changes to RRIF rules,” by Rudy Mezzetta, Advisor’s Edge, March 13, 2023 What is...
Read MoreWith the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution deadline for 2022 coming up soon and the personal income tax filing deadline close behind, most Canadian adults are focused on this annual task. I am a financial planner, not a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), so I do...
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On February 7, 2023, the Bank of Montreal (BMO) released its latest survey of the Canadian public’s estimate of how much they need to retire with confidence. The survey resulted in a figure of $1.7 million. You may think that this is quite a large figure....
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Someone who is in or nearing retirement has many ways to invest a financial windfall. Here’s how to ensure the money serves you well. I wrote this article for the Qualified Advice column of MoneySense, the online Canadian personal finance magazine. Qualified Advice is written by...
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Occasionally I read about people who regard themselves as fairly sophisticated investors entering into a strategy of beginning to receive the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) at age 60 while continuing to be employed. There may be multiple reasons for making this choice. The most ill-informed reason...
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When I was a young boy living on the more rural outskirts of Chilliwack, BC, my brother and I would often go over to our cousin’s place just up the road and sleep outside overnight. This was in the summertime, of course. We would look...
Read MoreManaging our personal finances involves a few mathematical calculations. When we buy a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC), we are told, for example, that we will receive 5% per year, compounded over five years. If we deposit $5,000 into that GIC, how much will we receive?...
Read MoreAre you looking for New Years Resolutions? If your ideas involve financial concerns, you have come to the right place. Below are nine different options to consider for 2023. All will require a bit of work to accomplish, but equally, all will leave you in...
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