Posts by Robb Engen
Weekend Reading: Wall Street Edition
Wall Street is synonymous with investment firms and stock traders, but the name of the street originates from an actual wall that was constructed in the 17th century by the Dutch. The 12-foot wall was built to protect against attacks from pirates and Native American tribes, and to keep other potential dangers out of the…
Read MoreMillionaire Teacher (Second Edition): Book Review and Giveaway
The financial landscape can change a lot in a short period of time, which can make even the best personal finance book obsolete in just a few years. Ask David Chilton, who after 22 years brought The Wealthy Barber out of retirement and gave it a significant makeover in The Wealthy Barber Returns. That’s why I…
Read MoreAsking The Wrong Questions About Your Investing Strategy
If you’re anything like me you started investing because you wanted to make money and the stock market just happens to be the best place to achieve inflation-beating returns over the long term. Investors must accept, however, that greater returns come with greater risk, along with the possibility that your portfolio might suffer losses of…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Buffett’s Annual Shareholder Letter Edition
Warren Buffett is a living legend in the world of investing and each year he issues, on behalf of his company Berkshire Hathaway, a widely anticipated letter to shareholders. Berkshire stock was up 23 percent in 2016, more than double that of the S&P 500 index. The Oracle of Omaha has still got it! Buffett’s annual…
Read MoreLong Weekend Reading: Family Day Edition
Welcome to another edition of weekend reading. Monday is Family Day here in Alberta so we’re enjoying a long weekend and looking forward to some fun and affordable family entertainment. With that in mind, I don’t want to spend my entire Sunday morning writing, so let’s get on with the links. This long weekend reading edition…
Read MoreTax Tips From An Eager Tax Filer
Where’s my T4?!? I know it’s only mid-February but I’m eager to get started on my taxes so that I have the option to make an RRSP contribution before the deadline. But my employer has yet to issue our T4s and I can’t file my taxes if I’m missing such a key document. Surprisingly, many…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Raising Retirement Age Edition
Maybe raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security from 65 to 67 wasn’t such a bad idea after all? The Liberal federal government reversed a controversial decision made in 2012 by the Conservative-led feds and returned OAS eligibility to 65. But now an economic advisory council is recommending Ottawa raise the age of…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Banning Mutual Fund Commissions Edition
The Canadian Securities Administrators has for several years debated whether or not to ban embedded commissions from the sale of mutual funds. Activity ramped-up last year with the release of two reports from the Brondesbury Group and Dr. Douglas Cumming that looked at the nature of financial advice and whether commissions influence mutual fund sales. The conclusion was clear:…
Read MoreWe’re Buying New Vehicles At A Record Pace, And It’s Killing Our Finances
The auto industry is thriving as Canadians bought 1.95 million new vehicles in 2016, the fourth consecutive record-setting year for automakers. Yet despite the robust sales figures some dealers already seem desperate to keep this new car buying binge going. For years we’ve been bombarded with 0% financing offers, cash back incentives, used car buy-backs,…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Credit Card Trickery Edition
It’s rarely a good idea for a business to outsource its sales and promotional activities. Loblaws found this out the hard way when customers complained about the aggressive and sometimes shady tactics used by employees to coax them into signing up for PC Financial credit cards. The employees actually work for SDI Marketing, a firm hired…
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