Around the Blogosphere

Our family switched to a plant-based diet two years ago. We have our reasons – a dairy intolerance was the driving force but there’s also environmental concerns, the ethical treatment of animals, a healthier diet, etc. We’ve never looked at it from a financial perspective, mostly because we haven’t noticed much of a change in…

CIBC’s Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal raised eyebrows this week when he said that one in five first-time home buyers is getting help from their parents with a gift, on average, of $150,000. Not only are more first-time buyers getting financial aid from the bank of mom and dad (up from 15.5% in 2015) but…

Two of my favourite writers teamed up for a new book called Invest Your Way To Financial Freedom. A Wealth of Common Sense blogger Ben Carlson and The Evidence-Based Investor Robin Powell offer a simple guide that explains how to set yourself up for financial success. The chapters are short and engaging, written like a…

It’s generally a good idea to max out the available contribution room inside your RRSP and TFSA first before moving on to other investment opportunities. Those “other” opportunities may include accelerating your mortgage payments if you own a home, or buying a rental property, or opening a non-registered (taxable) investment account. It’s a topic I…

I hope you’ve had a chance to check out the Canadian Financial Summit this week. This online personal finance and investing conference features more than 35 prominent experts in Canadian money matters, with a wide range of topics from investing, retiring early, travel, and much more. In my session I spoke with co-host Kyle Prevost…

One of the biggest worries for retirees is the fear of outliving their savings. This fear leads many to spend less than they are able to, both during their working years and throughout retirement. It can also lead to “one-more-year” syndrome, where individuals kick the retirement can down the road a little bit longer while…

The Canadian Financial Summit is back once again this fall with a terrific line-up of 35+ personal finance experts, including yours truly, to tackle the burning financial questions facing us today. You’ll hear from PWL Capital’s Ben Felix, Millionaire Teacher Andrew Hallam, The Globe and Mail’s Rob Carrick, consumer advocate Ellen Roseman, along with long-time…

Money is still a taboo topic in many cultures. Well, that’s not exactly true. We love to complain about money – about the price of gas, the cost of groceries, the rise and fall of lumber prices, our empty bank account, our credit card debt. But we rarely talk about the value of money and…

Many retirees want to know how much they can spend in retirement without running out of money. The caveat is that most also want to remain in their home as long as possible. With the pandemic shining a light on poor conditions and service at long-term care facilities, it’s likely we’ll see even more seniors…

The Globe & Mail’s Rob Carrick posed a question to his LinkedIn followers a few months ago asking about the cost of a financial plan. He quoted a reader who said: “We recently received a quote of $4,000 for retirement and investment planning. This is a one time fee for service engagement. Seems high –…