When Will Canada Increase Retirement Age?
Canada will have to make tough decisions that will affect when individuals retire, writes Peter Watson. This could affect everything from Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Registered Retirement Income Fund, and the current age some younger workers are able to retire with pension benefits. We had a recent example of how a population reacts […]
Defence is Important in Hockey and Investing
If you want to win, you have to be good on defence, writes Peter Watson. As the Toronto Maple Leafs head into the Stanley Cup playoffs, we understand they have the firepower to score goals. Keeping the puck out of their net will be the key to victory. Like hockey and the glamour of scoring […]
Investing for the Long Term Can Bring Success
Two important ingredients to successful investing are patience and taking a long-term perspective, writes Peter Watson. One of the most important attributes to successful investing can be found in what you don’t do. Unfortunately, this flies in the face of how humans are programmed. We are taught from a young age to be proactive. When […]
Canadians Worry About Personal Finances
People worry about retirement and investments, writes Peter Watson. Canadians are concerned about their ability to fund retirement and they have negative feelings towards their investments. There are many reasons creating this pessimism, including Covid, higher interest rates, and everything seems to be more expensive. Plus, personal debt levels continue to rise. According to a […]
Stock Market Returns can be Misleading
Investors short- term and long-term experience is often very different, writes Peter Watson. Understanding how the stock market performs can be very misleading to how risky and unpleasant the investment experience can be. We have a perfect example of this over the last three years. From 2020 to 2022, the US stock market had a […]
Our Health Care System is Broken
Our health care system puts Canadians at risk, writes Peter Watson. Free enterprise exclusion has failed miserably when it comes to the distribution of healthcare services. One of Canada’s self-proclaimed achievements is providing free medicine to all. Our ability to deliver medical services has failed and the sooner we face that sad reality the sooner […]
Bad Year for Bonds in 2022
There are a few fundamental guidelines we recommend people use when developing their investment portfolio, writes Peter Watson. It starts with diversification: a combination of stocks and bonds. Stocks usually have a higher expected rate of return that can help your portfolio grow. Bonds usually have a lower expected rate of return, but they provide […]
Government Grants Offered to Parents
The government is offering free money to help educate your children, writes Peter Watson. Today a question. If you could make an investment that provided a 20 per cent return guarantee in the first year, would that be of interest? There are no hidden glitches. You can invest with the financial institution of your choice […]
University Costs Can Disrupt Your Retirement Plans
Beware – the cost of your children’s university education can compete with funds you need for retirement, writes Peter Watson. The closer you get to retirement the more focused you can become on paying down or eliminating personal debt including a mortgage. Plus increasing your savings that will be necessary to provide a revenue source […]
2023 is the year of side hustles
Your side hustle, an extra part-time job, could be your solution to cope with the rising cost of living, writes Peter Watson. Many are facing serious financial challenges this year. Let’s look at possible solutions. A starting point is what we know. One, things are more expensive including mortgage payments, housing rental rates and groceries. […]