When people talk about car expenses, they focus on gas. But there's another consumable item that is just as important to your car purchasing decision: tires. Note: This is the first of a three part series on the insidious car expenses and how to reduce them. It was written by esteemed guest blogger The Prodigal … Continue reading Guest Post: Big Wheels Make You Cool but Poor
Canada’s Old Age Security (OAS) Pension
This is meant to provide you with a quick simplified overview of how the program works for most Canadians. For retirement planning purposes, please refer to the official government documentation. In addition to workplace pensions and personal retirement savings, most Canadians will receive income from two public programs in retirement: the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) … Continue reading Canada’s Old Age Security (OAS) Pension
The Real Reason to Own a Home, Aside From Needing a Place to Live
While most Canadians seem to think that housing is the best investment you could make, the main reason to own a home is because you need a place to live. As a pure investment, housing has a lot of undesirable qualities: it's expensive to buy and sell (realtor and legal fees, taxes);its value is tied … Continue reading The Real Reason to Own a Home, Aside From Needing a Place to Live
High Mutual Fund Fees are Devastating
Canadians pay some of the highest mutual fund fees in the world. Morningstar’s Global Investor Experience Study reports that the average fee for the typical mutual fund in Canada is around 2%, compared to 0.6% in the US. It’s even worse for those who get their mutual funds from a commission-based advisor like you would … Continue reading High Mutual Fund Fees are Devastating
Your Investments Should be Global
Geographic diversification is key to protecting your investment portfolio. Any country’s stock market can experience long periods of underperformance. Japan’s experience If you had invested $10,000 US dollars in Japan’s stock market on March 12, 1996, how much would that be worth on March 19, 2020? $9,600... But that couldn’t happen in Canada Fortunately, Canadians … Continue reading Your Investments Should be Global