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Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada1, good health is determined by mental, physical, and financial wellness. In other words: mind, body, and money. Physical and mental health makes sense, but what is financial wellness?   Financial wellness doesn’t necessarily mean you have millions of dollars invested, although you’ve

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Financial Advice for New and Expecting Parents

Whether you’re expecting a child, planning to have one soon or have just become a new parent, you’re about to embark on one of the most rewarding journeys that life has to offer. It’s also one of the most expensive: an average of $12,500 per year until age 18.1. That’s

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A Point In Time

There are moments in time when significant economic shifts occur that alter the future. One such moment occurred in late August 2019 at the close of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. This is an annual and exclusive central banking conference to foster open discussion about important and current policy matters.

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Storyline Investing

The point of the headline is to distinguish what kind of investor you are. Do you follow storylines as described in the media headlines, or do you rely upon numbers and data to build your wealth and achieve financial independence?   Warren Buffett has made this point clearly by stating

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The Power of Compound Interest

“Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes more money.”1 This quote by Benjamin Franklin is referencing the power of compound interest. Albert Einstein extolled the wealth-building virtues of compound interest as well. He is reputed as saying he considered it to be man’s greatest invention and the

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Questions. Questions. Questions.

It is increasingly difficult to ignore some of the trading action in the markets that is causing surprising moves in equity values while the underlying economy continues to struggle (refer to U.S. unemployment data, for example). This type of divergence has occurred in the past and at some point, the

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Time-Tested Money Management Strategies

As we grow up, what we learn about money from our parents can significantly influence how we earn, save, and grow our wealth. Meaghan, an elementary school teacher, credits her mother for her healthy approach to finances today. “I was lucky to grow up understanding that I could control my

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Does Buy and Hold Still Work?

As an investment strategy, “Buy and Hold” is just what it sounds like: you buy an investment and hold it for an extended period, riding out market fluctuations and selling when the price reaches your target. The underlying logic of this strategy is that investments tend to gain value over

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When Volatility Arrives, Optimism is Key!

The focus here is on you as an investor! What do you bring to the table in terms of investment experience and personal temperament (emotions) that impacts your investment returns and satisfaction while building your nest egg?   October is a seasonal time of the year when investment markets often

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How Now Horatio Alger?

Horatio Alger1 was an American writer of novels about impoverished boys rising from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage and honesty. His writings were characterized by the “rags-to-riches” narrative, which continues to have a formative effect on many entrepreneurs today.   The “rags -to-riches”

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History is a Good Teacher

Like many young adults, Lindsay took what her parents had to say with a grain of salt when it came to money. A new college graduate with an entry-level job, she was more interested in spending her paycheques than saving them. Saving was for later, she thought. Life was for

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Buy Now, Pay Big Time Later

Brent and Darlene really enjoy their ‘toys’ and their lifestyle. In the last few years, they bought themselves a big screen TV, a stereo system, two expensive new vehicles, a ski boat and took a tropical vacation, mostly on credit. They also used their credit cards to pay for numerous

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Law of Large Numbers

Over the next several years, governments in advanced countries will likely continue to struggle with mounting debt burdens and the associated rising costs of servicing that debt. It is also noteworthy to remember that total government debt continues to increase every year because of deficit spending.   So how does

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Looking at Investment Returns

A major Canadian financial institution ran an investment promotion earlier this year that promised attractive returns for GIC-type investors, who needed higher returns to generate income. While dealing with an advisor from this particular institution on another matter, the conversation turned to the details of their offer.   The highlighted

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Be Prepared For Emergencies & Opportunities

Randy worked for a small business. When the owner died suddenly, the business accounts were frozen and it took several weeks before they could be accessed to meet payroll. Randy had trouble meeting his financial obligations and had to find a new job.   Jane worked at a small company

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The Role of Luck in Your Planning

One of the most interesting facets of the financial services industry is how so many people tend to invest their money and plan their financial affairs by chasing trends and doing what is “popular”.   For example, many investors like a “sure thing” and will often pile into an investment

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BHAG for 2019

As you look to 2019 for a fresh beginning, we invite you to set your intentions to have a breakthrough year! To do that, you are invited to reach for and set some Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG)!   That’s right! Why look to set incremental goals when you can

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Boomer Advice to Young People: Invest Early & Diversify

When asked if they had any regrets, Baby Boomers wished they had started investing and saving at a much earlier age. Hindsight being 20/20, the Boomer generation can pass on some much needed advice and guidance to their kids and grandkids. It is normal for younger people to focus on

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New Energy Landscape

Bill Nye the Science Guy met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa earlier this year to promote the use of alternative energy fuels in our economy. He is a strong advocate of moving away from carbon-based fuels. Yet, Nye admitted, in a Toronto radio interview some days later, that

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Bad Excuses for Putting Off Investing

Recent college or university graduates with their first career job have an understandable itch to spend money after years of living on Kraft Dinner. The last thing they want to think about is saving money and building assets.   Yet this is the ideal time in life to start developing

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Understanding Market Volatility – Part 2

Our previous article looked at the increase in market volatility in 2018 in historical terms to put it in perspective. The other factor to consider is where are we in the market cycle and what this might mean for you personally in terms of your own long-term financial strategy.  

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Understanding Market Volatility – Part 1

This year began with some market turbulence resulting in a correction in the S&P Index in late January of about 10%, and about 7% for the TSX during the same period. You would have thought the world was ending with all the hand-wringing and hysteria stirred up by media reports

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De-Dollarization and You – Part 2

The US has been Canada’s largest trading partner for decades, so our economy is closely tied to the fortunes of our southern neighbour. In addition, because the US economy is still currently the largest in the world, whenever an investor implements or revises a financial strategy, it is always important

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Hype, Hope and Glory

Advisors offer clients many value-added services, in addition to investment planning, insurance and risk management planning and general financial and Estate Planning advice. This often leads to a discussion by clients of what is hot in the market and what is actively being discussed in the media and whether the

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There is Risk and There is Risk

The penny finally dropped a couple of months ago during a client conversation about the risk of investing in the equity markets. The client was reluctant to commit money to the investment markets and gave me several reasons – “the markets were too high and ready to crash”, “there were

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How to Start An Investment Plan

Wouldn’t life be better if it was easier to get ahead? For many, there’s just too much month left over at the end of the pay cheque. After all, you’ve got a mortgage or rent and utilities to pay, food and clothes to buy, and a vehicle to operate.  

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America Decides

On November 8, 2016, Americans will elect the 45th President of the United States. Many Canadians have been vehement and passionate observers of every twist and turn of the campaign. Yet, once you strip away the nasty name calling and accusations of one kind or another by both candidates, you

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Active Versus Passive Investing

There are very passionate views on both sides of the debate as to whether it is better for individual investors to use active investment managers versus using an index approach, with its main selling feature being lower fees.   Let us first bear in mind why people invest in the

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The Story Behind ‘Sell Everything’

The media in general has a tendency to take an idea or story and run with it until the original context or point is lost in a wave of misinformation, taking a form of its own. At that point, the idea can become very dangerous to you as an individual

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