Around the Blogosphere

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…

Fewer than 1% of eligible recipients choose to take their CPP benefits at 70. Most Canadians take CPP at age 60, as soon as they’re eligible, perhaps unknowingly giving up substantial lifetime income. Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Director of Financial Security Research at the National Institute on Ageing, wants to change the conversation around when to…

HSBC Canada made history this week when it announced a 0.99% mortgage rate – the lowest advertised rate ever offered in Canada. The 0.99% mortgage rate is available for high-ratio insured purchases (i.e. for those putting less than 20% down). It’s not a fixed rate, but a steeply discounted variable rate of prime minus 1.46%.…

I’m a big fan of all-in-one ETFs and indeed invest my own money in Vanguard’s VEQT – the 100% equity version of its all-in-one balanced ETFs. These ETFs are a game changer for self-directed investors who want to invest in a low cost, broadly diversified, and automatically rebalanced portfolio. Vanguard was first to launch its…

Last week I previewed Fred Vettese’s completely updated and revised edition of Retirement Income For Life. I’m giving away an extra copy of the book and asked readers to enter to win by sharing when they took (or plan to take) CPP. The results were interesting. The vast majority of responses were in favour of…

Fred Vettese is one of Canada’s leading retirement planning experts. The former chief actuary for Morneau Shepell spent his entire career working within Canada’s retirement income system. He’s written three books on retirement, including The Real Retirement, co-authored with former Finance Minister Bill Morneau, and The Essential Retirement Guide: A Contrarian’s Perspective. Mr. Vettese’s latest…