Posts by Boomer
Build Flexibility Into Your Retirement Plan
Prospective retirees want a simple formula for making their retirement plan. There are hundreds of calculators that will crank out numbers showing how many years until you can retire, how much you need to save, and how long your money will last. It’s a good place to start, but don’t stake your entire future on…
Read MoreApril Is A Good Month To Do These Things
Bye bye winter blues. Warm weather is approaching soon (I hope). When the weather starts warming up in April my thoughts turn to spending more time outdoors. Garden centres are opening, and many campgrounds are already accepting reservations, giving us something to look forward to. This year, admission to Parks Canada is free for kids…
Read MoreBaby Makes Three: A Boomer & Echo Financial Makeover
Megan (28) and Aaron (29) have been married almost four years. They both have well paying jobs and are living the good life. They feel that since they have little debt, are meeting their retirement savings goals, and keeping up with the bills why not have fun with their excess cash? They regularly surprise each…
Read MoreGenerating Retirement Cash Flow From Your Investments
Once you stop working your objective shifts from growing your investment portfolio to generating income from it. Many retirees obsess over generating enough retirement cash flow from their investments. They prefer a predictable stream of income to partially replace their previous salary income. Here are some strategies for getting cash flow from your retirement portfolio:…
Read MoreOur Ever-Rising Grocery Bills and the Cost of Convenience
One of the reasons why our grocery bills are getting higher is our increasing reliance on convenience and pre-packaged foods. Yes, I get that they can be, well, convenient when we’re busy but let’s face it, we get lazy and unprepared and often they’re the first things we throw in the cart. The problem with…
Read MoreAre ETFs Becoming Too Complex?
Exchange traded funds have surged in popularity as more investors realize the benefits of lower investment costs and broad diversification. They started out as a way for investors to tap into the returns of major stock markets using a nice convenient low-cost package that trades like a stock. With passive investment management, a computer could…
Read MoreWaiting For An Inheritance
Have you noticed that your senior parents may be reluctant to discuss estate planning with their children? Obviously, there’s the discomfort of talking about death, but there’s also that long-time reluctance about discussing financial issues. This lack of conversation between the generations may be contributing to poor retirement and estate planning. Needing to fund retirement…
Read MorePreparing For Retirement: Managing Your Cash Flow
You’ll soon be heading into retirement. You’ve thought about what retired life will look like for you and your spouse (if you have one) and approximately how much this lifestyle is going to cost you. A good retirement budget will not only cover your day-to-day life but will also take into account such things as…
Read MoreMarch Is A Good Month To Do These Things
March is the time of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, but we Canadians know that warm Spring weather may yet be some time away. Maybe you’ll be inspired by our Olympic athletes (record number of medals, yeah Canada!) and venture outside to do some skiing, skating or tobogganing. Not me though. I like to curl up…
Read MoreCutting Your Grocery Bill
Let’s face it. Food prices are increasing every year, and this has become a significant expense for most households. I’m sure that my husband and I spend at least as much now as a couple as we did when we had teenage sons regularly clearing out the fridge. According to the annual Canada’s Food Price…
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