Welcome to Canada!

Planning, planning, planningGreat, now you are a new immigrant. A dream comes true. New opportunities lie ahead of you and your family! You are excited and starting to be a bit overwhelmed with all the new information.True, after the adrenalin lowers and all the excitement turns into reality most will get overwhelmed. Even having a plan, as I had, it can be [...]

You cannot miss this offer!

Most people have received a mail-order offer to purchase life insurance and some may have actually purchased the coverage. Andrea is no different – the offer arrived with his regular mail and, out of curiosity, he read it. Each case is unique, so there are no blanket answers on whether you should or should not buy this insurance, so let’s look at some po [...]

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Mei has heard about Tax Free Savings accounts but is still not sure they are the best alternative for her investments.  TFSAs are an incentive from the Federal Government (with follow-on support from all Provinces and Territories) to taxpayers to save for their futures.Born out of the financial crisis of 2008, the TFSA was introduced in 2009 as a means to encourage average Can [...]

The hidden costs of DIY investing – Part 1 – Investing for the long term

It is very tempting to manage one’s own investments and many dive head first into it. There are two aspects that drive people to try this: being in control and save money. Although most of the people that claim that the latter is the reason, the fact is they want to be in control. Because of that there are zillions of companies and individuals advertising and teaching the “ [...]

The hidden costs of DIY investing – Part 2 – Day trading

The hidden costs of DIY investing – Part 2 – Day tradingIt is very tempting to manage one’s own investments and many dive head first into it. There are two aspects that drive people to try this: being in control and save money. Although most of the people that claim that the latter is the reason, the fact is they want to be in control. Because of that there are zillions of companies and indi [...]

The hidden costs of DIY investing – Part 3 – Swing trading

It is very tempting to manage one’s own investments and many dive head first into it. There are two aspects that drive people to try this: being in control and save money. Although most of the people that claim that the latter is the reason, the fact is they want to be in control. Because of that there are zillions of companies and individuals advertising and teaching the “hidden secrets of tr [...]

The hidden costs of DIY investing – Part 4 – Wrapping up

It is very tempting to manage one’s own investments and many dive head first into it. There are two aspects that drive people to try this: being in control and save money. Although most of the people that claim that the latter is the reason, the fact is they want to be in control. Because of that there are zillions of companies and individuals advertising and teaching the “hidden secrets of tr [...]

There is only one risk

We met last week. Daniel just turned 70. Healthy and happily married to Lucy, they are expecting their first grandchild. “Perfect timing,” they thought. Daniel did not start to receive CPP, as he is maximizing the amount he can get. Lucy retired at 65 and has been getting her CPP and OAS for 2 years. Their expectation was to supplement their CPP and OAS payments with some i [...]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Winter! Temperatures drop, the snow falls on the ground. The beauty of the scenery is breathtaking! Snowy peaks, peaceful beaches, calm is in the air!If you are fond to winter sports, this is when the world becomes your playground. Pack up! Head to the mountains, to the ski resort, have fun!If you start shivering just by thinking about snow shovelling and ar [...]