Posts by Robb Engen
Weekend Reading: TFSA Limit Increase Edition
The federal government released its ‘Indexation adjustment for personal income tax and benefits amounts’ (IAFPITABA), which shows the increases to 2019 tax bracket thresholds, plus increases to income-tested benefits like the GST credit and Canada Child Benefit. These increases are tied to inflation using Consumer Price Index data from Statistics Canada, which pegged inflation at…
Read More15 Money Saving Tips To Live By
I’m often asked to share my best or favourite money saving tips. It’s hard to pin down just one when there are so many ways to save money and build lifelong financial habits and skills. That’s what financial literacy is all about, right? Here are 15 money saving tips that I try to live by: 1. Make…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Stock Market Volatility Edition
The month of October was not kind to investors. A volatile stock market erased all of 2018’s gains and then some. My own portfolio plunged 5.72 percent in October after being up 4.73 percent from January to September. Time to panic? Not a chance. In yet another example of why it’s best to ignore the…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Banks Behaving Badly (Again) Edition
CBC Go Public continues to do excellent investigative reporting and this week they caught banks behaving badly again, this time misleading and upselling customers on pricey credit card insurance. Known as balance protection insurance, this product charges a hefty premium (typically around 99 cents per $100 balance) to “protect” cardholders from missed payments as a…
Read MoreCanadian High Interest Savings Account Comparison
I researched the best high interest savings accounts in Canada and found a significant difference when comparing savings accounts between banks.
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Daylight Saving Edition
I was caught by surprise when Daylight Saving Time ended this weekend but I’m thankful for the gift of time with an extra hour I didn’t know I had Sunday morning. Many jurisdictions have considered abandoning Daylight Saving Time, including the European Union. The EU Commission surveyed 4.6 million people and found that 84 percent called…
Read MoreCoPower Green Bonds: Good For The Planet (And Your Portfolio)
**This is a review of CoPower Green Bonds** While cannabis stocks got much of the attention from investors this year, a different type of green investment is beginning to emerge in global markets. Green Bonds are used to fund environmental and climate-friendly projects such as renewables, energy efficiency, water efficiency, bioenergy, low carbon and green…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Free Gift Card Edition
We partner with a comparison site called creditcardGenius to share the best rewards cards in Canada and keep you informed of the latest promotions and sign-up bonuses. I prefer it over other comparison sites because creditcardGenius offers an objective, math-based scoring system that sorts through 189 Canadian credit cards and recommends the best rewards card…
Read MoreA Realistic Retirement Income Target
In The Essential Retirement Guide, author Fred Vettese argues that the widely accepted retirement income target of 70 percent of final pay is too high. A more realistic retirement income target, according to Mr. Vettese, may be closer to 50 percent and in some cases could be as low as 35-40 percent (i.e. for couples…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Grouse Grind Edition
My wife and I hiked up Grouse Mountain yesterday. It’s a gruelling three kilometre, 2,830 step, near vertical climb known as the Grouse Grind. At the quarter mark there’s a sign warning hikers that the trail gets even more narrow and steep from here, and if you can’t go on, this is the only point…
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