Fewer Investors Use a Financial Advisor
Investors purchasing mutual funds use an investment advisor almost two thirds of the time. When purchasing ETFs, only one third use an investment advisor, writes Peter Watson. This information is from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada’s annual investor survey that was recently released. Why are so few investors using the services of a […]
Avoid Investing in Stocks Based on Short Term Success
Beware of the “shiny object” syndrome, writes Peter Watson. One of the most difficult challenges of investors is to ignore the “noise” that often surrounds investing. Much of that noise is based on short-term results. Investing is done for long periods of time. Short term approaches to investing in my opinion are just speculation. Guessing […]
Mortgage Payments Are Becoming Challenging
The most significant challenge for some over the next few years is making their mortgage payments, writes Peter Watson. Many have already experienced the effect of higher interest rates. The lucky ones have locked in a specific mortgage rate that has not come due, but that day is coming. There are several realities to homeownership. […]
Past Tax Strategy is a Possible Solution to Provide More Residential Rental Units
There is a potential solution for Canada’s current lack of residential rental units, writes Peter Watson. It is an idea that was used in the 1970s when there was also a shortage of rental supply. Offer individual investors tax incentives. Decades ago, the top tax bracket was slightly over 50%, the same as it is […]
Time is running out to improve Canada’s debt issues
Focusing entirely on the dangers of mounting household debt is a disservice to our country, writes Peter Watson. Over a few short years, housing mortgage rates have doubled, or more. This has caused a significant hardship for many homeowners. Many people might not be able to keep up with mortgage payments and are at risk […]
Is the Cost of Post-Secondary Education Worth it?
Postsecondary education is expensive, and families must make the decision whether it’s worth it, writes Peter Watson. The financial decision to spend money on a child’s postsecondary education can have major implications for a family’s finances. For many families, the dream their children will go to university is strong. And there are many advantages. Your […]
The environment is our greatest financial challenge
The greatest financial challenge we have left our children is the environment, writes Peter Watson. The challenge will be met, they typically are, but at what cost? Things will get worse before we are motivated to find solutions. There are two stories that have flooded the news in recent months. One is watching our neighbour […]
Financial procrastination affects how we manage our personal finances
Today, let’s talk about financial procrastination, writes Peter Watson. It is not a matter of scolding yourself when human characteristics interfere with the way you operate. Accept the fact that people do things a certain way. If you choose, try and develop personal strategies that can lead to better results. As you read this article, […]
Does Working During Retirement Interest You?
Your plan during retirement could be to get a job, writes Peter Watson. The conventional retirement age has been 65 for many decades. However, things have changed. Life expectancy has increased, therefore the number of years spent in retirement could be much longer than in the past. Continuing to work has many advantages. If you’re […]
Summer Travel Spending is Down
It is no surprise that Canadians plan to spend less money travelling this summer, writes Peter Watson. One of results of the Bank of Canada aggressively increasing interest rates over the last two years is to force people to spend less money. Plus, because of inflation, most things cost more so there is less money […]