Around the Blogosphere

Retirees face a myriad of questions as they head into the next chapter of their lives. At the top of the list is whether they have enough resources to last a lifetime. A related question is how much they can reasonably spend throughout retirement. But retirement is more than just having a large enough pile…

It has been 13 months since we’ve travelled anywhere outside of our provincial borders. Trips to Italy and the U.K. were cancelled and we’ve spent the past year cooped-up at home (for the most part) fantasizing about future travel plans.  With vaccines now rolling out across the world there’s growing optimism that we’ll return to…

Bonds are meant to be the ballast that helps smooth out volatility in your portfolio. They act as a cushion – the steady yet unspectacular asset class that balances the unpredictable movement of stocks. But a sudden decrease in bond prices has investors looking for answers.  In short, bond yields are on the rise because…

It’s easy for investors to get distracted away from their primary goals these days. Bitcoin is already up 94% year-to-date. The ARK Innovation ETF (NYSE: ARKK) has posted returns 19.45% so far this year. Meme-stock darling GameStop (NYSE: GME) is still up 133.68% on the year even after its historic rise and fall. Clean energy…

Retirement isn’t just about the numbers (have I saved enough, how much can I spend). It’s a new chapter in your life that can last 30 years or more. You need to consider what you’re retiring to, not just what you’re retiring from. That’s exactly what author Mike Drak explores in his latest book, Retirement…

The internet was all atwitter about the stock market this week, more specifically about the performance of GameStop stock, short-selling, hedge funds, and Robinhood (a free stock trading app in the U.S.). Financial journalists, pundits, and amateur investors all offered their hot takes on this ‘Reddit-fuelled’ market frenzy. My inbox also lit up with friends…

The deadline to contribute to your RRSP for the 2020 tax year is just over a month away (March 1, 2021). Now is a great time to take advantage of any unused RRSP contribution room and reduce your net income (and tax burden) for 2020. Remember, your RRSP deduction limit is determined by: Your unused…

The Canadian housing market soared to new heights in 2020 as home prices and housing sales both hit record highs. The Canadian Real Estate Association reported a 47.2% year-over-year increase in annual sales activity, and a 13% year-over-year increase to the he MLS Home Price Index (HPI). The average home price in Canada was a…

Mr. Market is the imaginary investor described in Benjamin Graham’s book, The Intelligent Investor. Driven by fear, greed, or apathy on any given day, Mr. Market invests according to his mood rather than rational analysis. It’s fair to describe Mr. Market as manic-depressive, randomly swinging from optimism to pessimism. Last year’s wild stock market ride…

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I quit my job last year to focus on blogging, freelance writing, and my fee-only financial planning business. My top priority was to make sure we were able to maintain our current spending and savings rate. In other words, I didn’t want this transition to have any negative…