One of the world’s richest men, Warren Buffett, acquired his wealth by following a very simple rule during times of market volatility: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”   With mass media websites trumpeting headlines like “Oil collapse and global stampede out of

If you were going to recommend a treatment plan for a loved one suffering with alcoholism, would you prescribe more alcohol as the best course of action to help them to recover or otherwise improve? Now put this question aside for the moment.   Let us look at the personal

A fire breaks out in a movie theatre. You’re there with your spouse and children, as are several local merchants. Who do you save first? The butcher? The banker? The hardware store owner? Their families? Or your family and yourself?   A ridiculous question. Of course you would save your

Clients often call when markets are looking a bit shaky, or newspaper articles are predicting the next market correction, recession, bubble, etc.   The challenge with reacting to such events or news is that the external circumstances rarely have anything to do with your specific situation and plan. Your mission,

Despite what many people think, the number one financial dream killer isn’t portfolio losses, or financial emergencies, or unemployment, and not even natural disasters. The number one reason people fail to reach their financial goals is procrastination – putting off the inevitable until the cost of your dreams or goals

A wedding day can be a springboard into many new and exciting adventures. With all the excitement leading up to the big day, the new couple routinely focuses so much energy on planning the event that they seldom spend any time discussing other important life issues – like developing a

If your way of assessing the state of the world is only through stories gleaned from the regular media, then you are likely missing out on all the marvelous and wondrous advancements of human society over the previous years and decades.   With news reports during the final months of

It is possible for just about everybody to achieve financial success. Getting there is usually not a matter of financial wizardry. By following some basic principles, you can make your financial dreams come true:   Set Objectives Goal setting is the foundation of achieving financial success. If you don’t have

It is that time of year again when news broadcasters turn our thoughts to the how the world and the investment markets may run into trouble. There are special reports stating that markets are at record levels, interest rates are rising, Trump, Trump and more Trump, trade deals, China, the

The use of debt in your financial affairs is akin to a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is very useful to assist you in buying and owning assets using “other people’s money (OPM)” such as a home or other financial asset. On the other hand, it can be

John and Jane had spent many months planning for their special day. They had also budgeted and spent many thousands of dollars to celebrate their wedding. Now what?   Since John and Jane have made a for richer or poorer commitment to each other, it’s time to do something about

Most people want financial freedom over financial servitude. Who doesn’t want to be financially independent, where their money is working for them rather than working for their money? The problem for most Canadians is that financial freedom can be a struggle of living paycheck-to-paycheck or where spending tends to win

Recent studies have shown that as many as 60% of Canadians will not have saved enough money in order to adequately provide for their retirement.1 The problem for most people is not that they plan to fail, they simply failed to plan, adequately. And, while many may have been conscientiously

There are many different types of global economic risks that financial advisors take into account when preparing a financial action plan for their clients. This is where advice and judgment come into play when working with you as a client. One area that is gaining increasing prominence is the role

We are being misled – seriously misled. No matter where you look, we are expected to believe that by buying lots of expensive, luxurious items, it signifies that we are wealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s really just cash flow.   Television and movies portray people that

To get the best out of your current financial advisor, you need to better appreciate what kind of advice is available to you today versus in the past. And more importantly, what the provision of advice now and in future may look like and how this may impact your ability

Despite what many people think, the number one financial dream killer isn’t portfolio losses, or financial emergencies, or unemployment, and not even natural disasters. The number one reason people fail to reach their financial goals is procrastination – putting off the inevitable until the cost of your dreams or goals

We’ve had a few weeks to make and break our New Year’s resolutions. Now is a good time to make some promises to give your finances an extra boost in 2018 and help see you better off by year-end.   1. Promise to make the biggest RRSP contribution you can.

His banker asked Trent what his net worth was for a loan he was applying for. He had trouble answering the question right away.   What is Net Worth? Quite simply, net worth is the difference between what you own and what you owe. But true net worth may not

The recent increases in the Bank of Canada and Federal Reserve prime rate in the past few months signal the end of historically low interest rates. According to a Bank of England study released in early 2016, current low interest rates are the lowest in 5000 years of recorded history*!

Have you considered putting aside extra funds for the teenage years?   If you have not thought about this, then you may want to if you have a child that is quickly headed towards the adolescent years. This can be a turbulent time, not just with the emotion and drama

What problems does the financial industry solve for Canadian consumers? Where is the value added for interacting with the financial industry and why use an Advisor versus doing it yourself online?   To address these questions, here is a refresher on why the financial industry exists in the first place.

With spring just around the corner, many Canadians have young people in their lives who are graduating from university, professional schools or community colleges. When the excitement of Commencement wears off, they are faced with the challenge of finding their first full-time paid jobs.   The following are a couple

Many people have no idea. Some people have a vague idea. A few people, a very few, have it all worked out. When it comes to retirement planning, many people do not take action until forced to by a mid-life event (career change, death of loved one) or by hearing

Multiple media reports note that almost 50% of Canadians have no emergency savings and are unable to cover the cost of an unexpected expense of $500 – $1000, let alone deal with an unexpected job loss. Other reports from credit agencies such as Equifax state that even a 0.25% increase

It is next to impossible to know when you might be impacted by a financial emergency; therefore, it is important to be prepared for something unforeseen in the future. Most people have heard the saying about saving money for a “rainy day”. With the right forward planning, there is a