Around the Blogosphere

I work with a lot of young families who are trying to juggle the enormous pressures of paying off debt, saving for a house down payment, possible income disruption from taking a parental leave, moving, or changing careers, plus dealing with temporary but costly expenses like childcare, paying off a vehicle, or renovating a home.…

We’ve finally moved into our new home and received the proceeds from the sale of our previous home. To recap, last year we entered into a purchase agreement to build a new house. We arranged our financing so that we didn’t have to sell the home we were living in to qualify for a new…

Ever since inflation began its persistent climb two years ago investors have been nervous about the market and how it would react to rising interest rates and, presumably, falling corporate earnings. Indeed, we’ve been talking about an imminent recession for the past two years and many investors want to know how to position (or re-position)…

No, I’m not talking about investing in dividend paying stocks. Been there, done that, not going back. I’m referring to paying myself non-eligible dividends from my corporation instead of paying myself a salary. A quick explanation: My wife and I incorporated our online business back in 2012, while I was still working a 9-to-5 job…

Much has been written about the financial side of retirement – do you have enough saved, how much can you spend, will your money last a lifetime? But retirement is part financial and part psychological. More than just a number in your bank account, retirement is also how you feel about moving on to the…

The federal budget plan is set to be delivered on March 28th, and that means it’s time for pundits to speculate about potential tax changes. We already know that the First Home Savings Account (FHSA) will be introduced and available at financial institutions some time this year. This account combines the best traits of the…

I’ve been looking for a phrase that captures the odd behaviour that investors exhibit when they change strategies based on current market conditions. Ben Carlson at A Wealth of Common Sense neatly summed up this behaviour as investors always fighting the last battle. It’s perfect: “Not every investor does this but there is a tendency…

Sometimes I think I’m the poster child for what not to do with your TFSA. I opened an account immediately when the TFSA launched in 2009 and contributed the maximum annual amount for three years, investing those funds in a couple of dividend paying stocks. I cashed out in 2011 (with a tidy $4,500 profit)…

Regular readers know that I update and post my net worth twice a year, including a year-end summary. They should also know that I didn’t post an update at the end of 2022. It’s not because I’m embarrassed that my portfolio suffered losses for the first time in recent memory. That’s a feature of financial…

Welcome to another edition of Weekend Reading! I’m on holidays but I wanted to share a quick update and thank you to all of my readers and clients for your support this year.   I started this blog back in 2010 during what I’d call the height of popularity for personal finance blogs. Today, the preferred…