“To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insight, or inside information. What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.”
~ Warren Buffett
Money Management
Wanting and getting are not the same thing
July 29, 2022 | All Columns, Money Management
“I am going to let you in on a little secret that is pretty useful when it comes to financial planning. Are you ready? Things don’t happen unless there is a reason for it. Kind of obvious, isn’t it? But many people behave as if that all they have to do is sit back and…
Don’t leave charity to chance
May 12, 2022 | All Columns, Money Management
“If you are like me, you never have enough time to get your stuff done. There is perpetual work to do, and kids to raise, and a bottomless list of chores, and somewhere in there we need to look after ourselves too. It’s go-go-go. Personally, I am at the point in life where what I…
Do you have a Financial Ninja as an advisor?
April 4, 2022 | All Columns, Investment Management, Money Management
“Canadian financial regulators are cracking down on who can use the term “financial advisor.” Going forward, anyone who is going to call themselves a financial advisor will actually have to have a financial planning, or equivalent, designation.” Smart Money Do you have a Financial Ninja as an advisor
350,000 Canadians qualify for a Registered Disability Savings Plan and yet they are not using it
April 4, 2022 | All Columns, Money Management, Risk Management
“I came across an unpleasant statistic this week. It’s not a surprising statistic but, still, it’s a darn shame. There are over 350,000 Canadians who qualify for a Registered Disability Savings Plan but have not yet established one. Often these are the people that could really use a hand, and yet they are not using…
Do you drink your coffee at home?
February 28, 2022 | All Columns, Investment Management, Money Management
“I keep seeing this idea that to retire wealthy you need to drink your coffee at home. In other words, if you have a $5 a day coffee habit, instead of buying the fancy gourmet triple lattes with cinnamon, you brew your own coffee at home at a fraction of the cost. Then you take…
Extinguishing your largest liability
October 18, 2021 | All Columns, Money Management
“For most people the biggest thing they will ever buy is their home, and the biggest liability they will ever have is their mortgage. But, unless your mortgage is coming up for renewal, the odds are good that you are just going with the flow, and not giving a lot of thought to how you…
How to use a net worth statement
October 18, 2021 | Money Management, Planning Encyclopedia
“In our daily routines it can be easy to overlook all the incremental bits of progress that happen. Sometimes it feels like we are working hard and still not getting anywhere. But when you look back to where you were last year and the year before, now you can start to see the progress: the…
Teaching kids about money
September 28, 2021 | All Columns, Money Management
“Teaching your kids about money is one of the important jobs that a parent has. But that is easier said than done. For one thing, there is the money taboo. A lot of people just are not comfortable talking about money with their kids. But the money conversation is like the birds-and-bees conversation. Sure, it…
Taking things for granted can cause chaos for your finances
September 28, 2021 | All Columns, Money Management
“People take things for granted all the time. They may assume that things will stay the way that they are now. Or they may assume that the future will meet their expectations. And sometimes these kinds of assumptions will work out fine. That is, as long as things actually stay as they are, or the…