Wasting food makes no sense
Recently I was at a grocery store that was getting ready to close for the evening. An extra-large garbage container full of bakery products was being thrown out. How can perfectly good food be for sale one minute and then the next be headed to the dump? In France this would be illegal. They were […]
Dementia can cause debt or the loss of financial assets
According to the Alzheimer Society 564,000 Canadians are living with dementia, and that number jumps to 937,000 in 15 years. It is very likely this disease will affect you directly, or indirectly with a family member or close friend. On June 17 the federal Health Minister held a news conference in Toronto and outlined Canada’s […]
Portfolio Overactivity can Backfire
Sometimes human nature tricks us into doing things with our investments that end up causing us harm. Emotions are part of being human. One of the biggest mistakes many of us make when managing our investment portfolio is making decisions based on emotions, often triggered by financial media biases or past performance. Even when you […]
CMHC defends mortgage stress test
The buying and selling of houses in Canada is in the middle of a political tug of war between the government and industry participants. Over the past decade the residential real estate market was red hot. Particularly in Toronto and Vancouver. The main reason was affordability. With historically low interest rates more people were able […]
International investing and diversification
Okay it is decision time. How should you manage your investment portfolio? I’m assuming you believe in diversification outside of Canada in order to reduce investment risk. Question: Each year should you predict what country will have the best annual returns and invest there? According to the Dimensional Matrix Book 2019, during 2015 Denmark had […]
Canada’s money laundering problem
Money laundering affects us all, so it is important to understand it and how it harms our lives. According to the 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Canada is one of the world’s major money laundering areas. Transnational organized crime groups are laundering money from “drug trafficking, fraud, corruption, counterfeiting and piracy, and tobacco smuggling”. […]
Financial Professionals Title Protection Act, 2019
Many people who manage their own finances can find it confusing. Trying to find the right adviser can add to that confusion. Part of the problem is all provinces, except Québec, have no rules or legislation governing the titles various financial people arbitrarily assign themselves. You can call yourself a financial planner because there are […]
Mental health issues can affect financial planning
As a society we are more aware that mental health problems exist. Once a taboo subject it is now more openly acknowledged and discussed. The Canadian Mental Health Association celebrated Mental Health Week from May 6 – 12. This year’s theme was to #GetLoud about what mental health is. Which, as their website says, “is […]
Fair wills help avoid resentment during a difficult time
Do you know what some adult children do after their last living parent dies? They fight. And sometimes they fight big time. Battles can ignite instantly if assets are distributed unfairly, even if there is a perception of unfair distribution. Making a will is about respecting family values and fairness. It’s not just a simple […]
Beware of phone and Internet scams
Criminals want to steal your money. You are more vulnerable than you think. Recently I have had several attempts by telephone and over the Internet in what I consider to be an attempt to steal from me. That is the motivation for writing this article and encouraging everyone to always be on guard and protect themselves. […]