Around the Blogosphere

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…

Our kids were off school during Thanksgiving week so we took a much needed mini vacation to Canmore / Banff. There were plenty of deals to be found that week and so we splurged on a penthouse condo with a private hot tub (through Airbnb).  It was so nice to get away from the mundane…

Many investors tend to be nervous about their portfolio and the direction of the stock market during an election year. You may even think it’s wise to hold off on investing a lump sum of cash until after the election is over. This behaviour comes from the belief that markets are more volatile leading up…

I’ve been reading Morgan Housel’s work for years and sharing his thoughtful lessons about money and investing. He has the rare ability to tell stories that connect the past with the present, while unpacking all the useful tidbits that apply to our own lives and personal finances. That’s why I was excited to read Mr.…

How has Covid-19 impacted your personal finances? For the past six months the focus has been on making sure income supports were in place for employees who lost their jobs and for businesses who were forced to shutdown or reduce their operating capacity.  Outside of weekly trips to the grocery store, most of us sheltered…

Since 1991, the Bank of Canada has used an inflation-control target framework to guide Canada’s monetary policy. The goal is to keep inflation at 2%, the mid-point between its target range of 1-3%. The inflation target framework is reviewed every five years, with the most recent agreement in place until the end of 2021. The…