Posts by Robb Engen
Weekend Reading: Stock Market Dive Edition
It’s been a rough ride for the stock market this month – the TSX is down more than seven percent in the last 30 days – leading to speculation that we’re headed for another big correction or crash. It’s been all uphill for investors over the last five years, so any blip on the radar…
Read MoreRobo-Advisor Battle Royale
The investment landscape changed this year when a new online investment model came to Canada. Already established for years in the United States with firms like WealthFront and LearnVest – robo-advisors have made their way north of the border with hopes to disrupt the current advice model. What exactly is a robo-advisor? Essentially it is…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Helping Consumers Fight Back Edition
We were excited to have consumer advocate Ellen Roseman with us on the Because Money hangout last week. We discussed how she got started in journalism and why sticking up for consumers became “her thing”. Ellen is also involved with FAIR Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Advancement of Investor Rights, and we talked about some…
Read MoreHow Behavioural Biases Kept Me From Becoming An Indexer
I’ve spent the last five years convincing myself – and many of you – that I’m a sophisticated do-it-yourself investor with a sound strategy that will outperform the market over the long run. My dividend growth investment approach has indeed performed well, returning over 16% per year since 2009. But the stock market in general…
Read MoreIntroducing Two New Cash Back Cards from American Express
Travel rewards credit cards got all the attention in the big Aeroplan shake-up last summer. But now the cash back segment is getting a much-needed shot in the arm with the introduction of the new SimplyCash and SimplyCash Preferred Cards from American Express. New SimplyCash Card from American Express The SimplyCash Card – simply put…
Read MoreWealthing Like Rabbits: Book Review And Giveaway
I’ve read a lot of personal finance books – I mean A LOT – and for the most part, unless there is a hook like the latte factor, or it is written in a unique “story” perspective like Jonathan Chevreau’s Findependence Day, the books are boring and the advice all sounds the same. Wealthing Like…
Read MoreInvest Like A Billionaire? No Thanks!
Exchange traded funds have surged in popularity over the last decade, and for good reason. A low cost, broadly diversified fund that tracks a stock index like the S&P/TSX 60 or S&P 500 doesn’t need to pay an expensive management and research team to deliver its mandate – saving you money. But a disturbing trend…
Read MoreBan On Embedded Commissions Coming, Despite Industry Objection
In 1996, following one of the worst mass killings in history, the Australian government made sweeping reform to its gun control laws, banning semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, and limiting ownership to an extremely narrow range of purposes. As a result, the government bought back nearly 650,000 of these weapons and now just 5 percent of…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Au Revoir, Toronto Star Edition
Monday marked the end of my bi-weekly column in the Toronto Star. The most widely read newspaper in Canada has decided to scale back its personal finance section to focus more on consumer awareness and advocacy stories (okay, more Rob Ford coverage). I want to thank The Star, and my editor Adam Mayers, for the opportunity…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Big Merger Edition
Earlier this week, two iconic fast-food chains decided to join forces when Burger King and Tim Hortons merged in a $12.5 billion deal. The news caused an uproar on both sides of the border, with Burger King facing criticism for moving its headquarters up north to reduce its corporate tax rate, and Tim Hortons “selling out”…
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