As I wrote on my website, one of the major reasons I began to work in financial planning is because I saw multiple DIY portfolios that were not founded on any rational approach to investment planning. Many seemed to view investing as a variation on...
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For some households, an inheritance can make a significant difference in their financial lives. Finally, a home can be purchased, or a mortgage or other debts paid off, or woefully inadequate RRSPs and other accounts for retirement can be fully funded. Married couples manage their finances...
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As a member of the Financial Planning Association of Canada (FPAC), our overarching goal is to professionalize financial services in Canada. One way in which we seek to get the word out about FPAC’s mission is by providing a regular column, Qualified Advice, for MoneySense,...
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Do you mean asset allocation? If you have read anything about setting up an investment portfolio, you have probably come across the term asset allocation. This term has to do with how you mix the various investment options at your disposal. For example, if you scan...
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Everybody wants to be in on the ground floor of THE NEXT BIG THING. They want to be an employee of the next Amazon, Apple, or Microsoft, when those companies were in their start-up phase, and be granted stock options that will grow from zero...
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In a few days, my oldest child will get married. There are at least two consequences of this impending event: 1. I will take a break from writing a blog post next week. 2. This blog post. There are certainly more consequences that are much more...
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You are the right age to retire. You have the right amount of money. Is that it, though? What are you retiring into? Has that even been part of your thinking? What other aspects of retirement do you need to get into place? Emotional Issues in...
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I like to think that most investment advisors seek to do what they think is best for their clients. However, there are advisors who do the wrong thing, sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes due to poor supervision, and sometimes because they are predators, only in...
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I occasionally participate in an online forum of retirees or near-retirees. Judging by the comments, many are suspicious of the Canada Pension Plan. It seems to boil down to three responses: The government is raiding our retirement nest egg – there will be nothing left...
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If you are expecting a child to come into your home, you may already be thinking about how you can help support the cost of their post-secondary education. The cost of schooling seems to be consistently outpacing inflation. How can your child positively afford it?...
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