Stock market rout not the time for wholesale portfolio changes The rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus (also known as the coronavirus), has hit global markets hard over the past few weeks as investors worry about the impact of the spreading contagion on global trade...
Escape the shackles of the savings account trap You may as well face facts: You can’t “save” a million dollars. A recent survey of the market showed that the highest rate paid in a standard, plain-vanilla deposit savings account (the kind that most banks and large...
Cents and sensibility Valentine’s Day can be gushingly romantic, stressful, and exciting all at the same time. For many couples, it can often lead to proposals of marriage or other forms of co-habitation. If you find yourself in that happy situation,...
Powerful tax-deferred retirement savings plan Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) are still the best retirement saving and tax-deferral opportunity available for most Canadians. Trouble is, many of us just don’t use RRSPs to their full advantage. Unused...
Do you have too many “cooks in the kitchen”? When most new clients come to see me, they may already have several “advisors” but no clear understanding of what they are actually getting advice on. They might have a financial planner from their bank, and perhaps an...
Time to pay the post-secondary piper Around about this time of year, the great Canadian university hunt gets into full swing. Universities make the rounds at high schools and fairs, looking to entice students to their schools. Students and parents make the rounds,...
These plans will help you create tax-free dollars If your New Year’s financial resolutions have already evaporated, despite your best intentions, you might try just one more: create tax-free dollars. There’s no special magic involved here. Nor is there any...
Yes, you can spruce up your personal finances for 2020 The beginning of the New Year is often a time to turn a new financial leaf: make a budget; pay down debt; save more. That’s all commendable, but these good intentions are mostly forgotten by, say, mid-February....
How to put your money on a leash A kind of money madness seizes people at this time of year. The expectation of ever-larger-better-bigger-pricier gifts is aided and abetted by retailers offering deals, promotions, and sales on all manner of shiny baubles and...
These tax and investment tips could save you a bundle Year-end is fast approaching, and with the holiday season getting into full swing, you probably won’t want to think about investments and taxes. Still, there are a few tax and investment moves you could make...
Little changes can make a big difference As this is Financial Literacy month, and the theme is “Take Charge of Your Finances!”, I want to talk about the very foundation of financial literacy, the building block of successful financial management: the budget. I can...
Precious metals, gems a risky way to hedge risk The headlines are hard to miss. There’s the seemingly endless tariff war between China and the U.S. Then there’s the truly endless sabre rattling in the Middle East, most recently between Turkey and the Kurds in...