Life Insurance Made Easy and Affordable
I moved from Calgary to Lethbridge when I was 18 years old. I can’t recall exactly how many times I’ve made the trip down Highway 2, but before I had kids I remember spending much of the two-hour trip in the passing lane driving a good 20-25 km/h above the speed limit. We think we’re…
Read MoreHow My Wife Will Save Money With A Wealthsimple RRSP
We like to tackle our taxes early in the year, which means assessing last year’s tax situation quickly so we can take advantage of RRSP contributions in the first 60 days of the New Year. Here’s the quick and dirty tax situation for our household: Since I earn a salary at my day job we’ve…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Canada’s Housing Correction Edition
Maclean’s author Jason Kirby wrote this week about Canada’s housing correction, saying, “Canadians are finally getting a taste of what a world with rising interest rates will look like, and one thing is painfully clear: we’re not ready for what happens next.” National home sales are projected to post a double-digit decline when the final…
Read MoreWhere Does My CPP Money Go After It Gets Deducted From My Paycheque?
If you’re like many Canadians, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about this whole pension thing we have going on. You know/hope it will be there when you turn 65. You know that a decent chunk gets taken off of your cheque each month (along with a bunch of other acronyms and taxes).…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2018 Year-End Review
I started the year with high aspirations. I wanted our household net worth to reach $750,000 and to get there I needed markets to continue chugging along at 8-10 percent. Well, that didn’t happen. When it comes to market expectations, straight-line goals won’t cut it. Even though it’s reasonable to expect 8 percent growth over…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: 2018 Year End Edition
This year was a challenging one for investors. We’ve been so used to seeing positive gains in our portfolios it’s a shock when markets don’t cooperate! The TSX is down 12.26 percent on the year. The S&P 500 is down 7.03 percent. International markets, as measured by MSCI EAFE, are down 13.94 percent. With seemingly…
Read MoreStop Giving Markets Your Attention
When I got an activity tracker several years ago I was horrified to learn just how sedentary my lifestyle had become. I’d drive to work, park my butt at a desk for eight hours, drive home, park my butt on the couch for a few more hours, and go to bed. It was mindless laziness.…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Stock Market Expectations Edition
What’s the difference between a run of the mill stock market correction and a blood in the streets bear market? By definition a market correction is a loss of around 10 percent over a short period of about two months or less. A bear market is a loss of 20 percent or more and typically…
Read MoreWorthwhile Fees To Pay
There are some fees we just love to hate and so we try to avoid them at all costs. Whether it’s bank fees, credit card annual fees, or late fees at the library, the idea of voluntarily paying a fee is anathema to anyone with a frugal mind. But some fees can be worthwhile if…
Read MoreBudgeting Basics For Your Financial Plan
Usually when someone reaches out looking for financial advice they want to jump right into investment selections or retirement planning. In many cases I walk them back to budgeting basics. Specifically, how much income do you bring in and where does all your money go? Without answering these two questions it’s nearly impossible to make…
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