Posts by Robb Engen
Financial Independence Update: Still On Track For Freedom 45
It’s been a while since we checked in on our financial freedom goals. Three years ago I had the audacity to say that I’d be financially free by 40. Then a few unplanned expenses came up, reality set-in, and I pushed findependence back five years to age 45. Here we are today, a week from…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Heads I Win, Tails I Win Edition
Do you think you’re an above-average investor? Most of us do, and that’s the premise of Heads I Win, Tails I Win, a new book by Spencer Jakab, the former stock analyst who now writes the Heard on the Street column for The Wall Street Journal. In the book, Jakab refers to Lake Moneybegone, a place…
Read MoreMy TFSA Dilemma and Solution
I embraced the tax free savings account with open arms when it was first introduced back in 2009. I made the maximum $5,000 contribution in 2009 and again in 2010. My TFSA game was strong, indeed, as I invested those funds in Canadian dividend paying stocks and quickly turned $10,000 into $15,000. But then I…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Manufacturing A Raise Edition
My employer – acting on direction from the provincial government – is freezing wages for the 2016/17 fiscal year. No salary increase, plus inflation, means that our growing family will actually be earning less money over the next 12 months. It’s a frustrating situation but I’m determined to make the most of it by manufacturing my…
Read MoreBorrowell, Grow, and Mogo: 3 Online Lenders Compared
A new wave of financial companies is turning traditional banking on its head by leveraging technology to offer customers low-cost banking, lending, and investing solutions. At the forefront of the fintech revolution are three online lending companies that are carving out a niche by targeting borrowers who want instant loan approval without visiting a branch.…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Summer Vacation Edition
I’m on holidays for the rest of the month and we’re heading out to Kelowna, B.C. to spend our family summer vacation water-sliding and wine-touring in the Okanagan. For the fifth summer in a row we’ve rented a house through vacation rental site VRBO.com. We can find an entire house or condo to rent for about the…
Read MoreCRM2 Is Here (Finally!): What Investors Need To Know
The final stage of implementation for phase two of the client relationship model (CRM2) comes into effect today. What it means for Canadian investors is that they’ll begin to receive some much needed disclosure about investment fees and performance. Under the directive of the Canadian Securities Administrators, financial institutions are required to send two new mandatory…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To Air Miles
Dear Air Miles, we need to talk about your loyalty program and how you’re treating collectors. It was nearly five years ago when you announced major changes to your rewards program. The introduction of Air Miles Cash, which gave collectors the ability to redeem rewards miles instantly at various retailers, was a welcome addition for…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Major Media Mention Edition
Welcome to the weekend! I was thrilled to be featured in this CBC story about Air Miles and how miles earned before 2012 are set to expire at the end of this year. The author, Sophia Harris, was a pleasure to work with and, incredibly, turned this story around in just a couple of days.…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2016 Mid-Year Review
We’ve reached the halfway point of 2016 so it’s once again time to take a deeper look at my finances and update my net worth. This year has been fairly quiet on the financial front. I continued to simplify our investments, this time by transferring a small RRSP account from Tangerine over to our TD…
Read More