All Columns

I Don’t Want To Invest Now Because…

Last week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 9474, I was speaking with a colleague. She expressed her concerns about the state of the world and what the future may bring for her investments. Her concerns are valid. They are also not new. Sure, the crisis of the day in 2002 may have a…

Also posted in Investment Management |

Don’t Touch It!

I just caught up with a young fellow that I set up with some investments back in 2000. He was a student at the time, and he has moved around a bit in the years between then and now, so it’s been harder to get a hold of him over the years. The reason that…

Also posted in Investment Management |

Investment Scams

They just keep popping up. The other day I realized that I don’t just have a house in the country. I have a dandelion farm. And I’ve got a bumper crop this year. I can mow the lawn and the dandelions are back in all their glory almost before the lawnmower engine is cold. I’ve…

Also posted in Money Management |

How To Not Screw Up Your Life

Just now I was consulting with Meagan on a situation where some people have found themselves in a jam, and she says, “You know, we need to petition the B.C. government to educate people starting in Grade 7 about how to not screw up your life.” “Ah ha, that’s the next column,” I said. There’s…

Also posted in Money Management |

Mortgage Insurance vs. Life Insurance

Often when a person borrows money the lending institution will ask, and sometimes even insist, the borrower buy life or disability insurance to cover the loan. It’s important to know that you aren’t required to purchase the insurance from the lending institution. In fact, it’s illegal for a financial institution to insist that you…

Also posted in Insurance Columns |

“I Wish I Had Bought Disability Insurance”

Most people do not spend a lot of time worrying about bad things happening to them. If I were to tell you that one in three people will get cancer you might be inclined to think, “Wow, that’s quite a number. I feel sorry for those people. Cancer is a terrible thing.” In other words,…

Also posted in Insurance Columns |

Retirement Reality Check

Recently I was at a local professional development day where the presenter shared a story of how a client of his, wearing a fancy new snowmobiling jacket and driving a new four by four, came in on February 28th to see if he should buy an RRSP. This story happens in Thunder Bay, but it…

Also posted in Retirement Planning |