Read. Watch. Listen.
Follow our insights for strategies on financial wealth and well-being.
blog search
Insights
Planning for maternity leave
Financial advice for new parents Welcoming a baby to the family is an exciting, challenging time for new parents. And many moms-to-be plan to take advantage of the current 12-month maternity leave (which the Trudeau Liberals have promised to extend to 18 months)....
Individual Pension Plan can boost your nest egg
Ideal for professionals, executives, business owners Looking for ways to enhance your retirement savings beyond a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)? If you don’t already have a pension plan through your employer, and you’re a business owner or executive, or...
Robyn Thompson interviewed on CTV’s Your Morning: the impact of the U.S. election for Canadian investors
Robyn Thompson is featured on CTV’s “Your Morning” show. She chats with host Anne-Marie Mediwake about the November U.S. presidential election, and whether Canadians should take this as an opportunity to reevaluate their...
Where will your retirement income come from?
Start planning now so you don’t outlive your nest egg The retirement planning conundrum never seems to change. It just gets more complicated. Ensuring sufficient income for retirement is now on the radar for every so-called Gen-Xer, and increasingly for Millennials...
Brexit? Trump? The Dow? Climbing the wall of worry
The market will fluctuate – get used to it! Stock markets seem to be reaching record highs every day. Toronto’s S&P/TSX Composite Index is the top-performing market in the world so far this year. Yet endless storm clouds seem to be gathering permanently on the...
Should you borrow to invest?
The lure of low rates can lead to a risk trap With interest rates so low, and stock markets hovering around all-time highs, many investors are looking to borrow for investment purposes, especially since the interest on an investment loan is tax deductible. While...
Divorced and ready to start over
Robyn Thompson is regularly featured in The Toronto Star’s “Money Makeover” series by Deanne Gage. Money Makeover takes a look at Joanne, divorced with 4 children. Joanne has limited savings and some leftover debt, but with her children leaving the nest, she can...
Stocks at record highs: time to buy?
How to avoid the market timing trap In a post-Brexit bounce over the past few weeks, the major North American stock markets have touched record highs. That blindsided many small investors who had bought in to the end-of-the-world style of media hype right after the...
Cut the tax take on cottage sales
Beware capital gains tax on non-principal residences With real estate prices going through the roof across the country, you may seriously be considering selling the family cottage to capitalize on the investment your great grandparents made 50 years ago – or that...
What to do with a large inheritance
A generous bequest can be a wealth-planning opportunity A recent report by CIBC economist Benjamin Tal looks at the implications of the huge impending transfer of wealth to Canadians between 50 and 75 years old. He points out that over the past decade, just over...
Should you get active with your bond funds?
The choice between bond ETFs and mutual funds Bond yields have dropped recently, and as a result, bond values have risen significantly. For example, the passive iShares Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF has risen 3.3% since the beginning of the year, and is up 4.9%...
Are Canadian stocks safer?
Why geographic diversification still matters Given all the volatility that’s been occurring in world markets after the Brexit vote, I’ve been asked whether it would be better to stick to Canadian stocks? After all, Canada is economically and politically stable, and...