Easter Weekend Reading
Long weekends for most people are a time to rest and relax with loved ones, maybe get away for a couple of nights to a hotel or out to the cottage. I enjoy R&R as much as the next guy, but for me nothing beats a long weekend to work on my side hustle and make some…
Read MoreTop 3 Cash Back and Travel Rewards Credit Cards for 2017
A credit card with a good travel rewards program can earn you big perks such as free flights and hotel stays, which is why Canadians tend to prefer travel rewards cards over their cash-back cousins. But last year’s Air Miles debacle left customers with a bad taste in their mouths. Sure, earning travel points was easy.…
Read MoreIt’s Time To Overhaul The Finance Industry
Canadians have been abuzz with the news of shady bank practices and the “what’s in a name?” controversy over advisors vs advisers instigated by the CBC. But the real problem is how the entire financial industry is regulated. Provincial regulators need to overhaul the requirements for the financial industry to better protect investors. Sure, they’ve…
Read MoreWhich Accounts To Tap First In Retirement?
Retirees, or those close to retirement, might have several buckets from which to withdraw income in retirement. There may be assets in RRSPs, taxable or non-registered investment accounts, TFSAs, and possibly corporate or small business assets. At retirement you need to consider which of these accounts to tap into first. To further complicate matters you might also…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Out Of Control Real Estate Edition
Toronto home prices soared a record 33 percent from a year ago, pushing the cost of an average home to $916,000 and a detached home in the downtown to almost $1.6 million. Now policymakers in the city of Toronto and province of Ontario are considering a new tax on foreign buyers or a tariff on vacant…
Read MoreIt’s Time To Declutter: Free Your Home Of Unnecessary Junk
When my mother-in-law passed away I had to sift through all of her possessions and dispose of them so we could sell her house. A couple of years later, I went through the same process when my own parents moved into a retirement home. Then I was at it again when my husband and I…
Read MoreBuilding Your Wealth: Employee Stock Purchase Plans
I regret to say I didn’t participate in my employer’s pension plan. However, I did join the employee savings plan – now called employee stock purchase plans. The resulting investment eventually became the backbone of my retirement plan. Many employers have stock plans that allow their employees to purchase shares in the company at a…
Read MoreA New Way To Look At Sustainable Investing
It’s not often we can equate green and sustainable business practices with the oil and gas sector but at a recent leadership summit I had the pleasure to hear Imaginea Energy founder Suzanne West share her ambitious vision to ‘green’ the oil business. Ms. West attended Richard Branson’s leadership gathering at Necker Island where she…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: What’s In A Name Edition
CBC Go Public is like a dog with a bone when it comes to going after Canada’s big banks. First it exposed the high pressure sales culture that has made its way down to the front-line – prompting bank tellers to open up about the aggressive tactics used to dupe customers into taking out new products or…
Read MoreGrowing Your Wealth: Managing Investment Fees
Effective January 1, 2017, new rules compel investment firms and advisors to clearly outline the costs of any funds held by their clients. Previously, many investment fees were hidden within incomprehensible prospectuses and financial reports that most investors rarely read. How do the various fees you pay on your investments – whether you do it…
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