David Many people feel trapped by the constant cycle of rising prices and flat income. With the rise in inflation, a sense of helplessness has become common. But don’t worry, there are ways to combat inflation and stretch your spending dollars. Inflation is currently running at 2.8% in the first half of 2024. Inflation has averaged … Read more
The Greatest Contest I often reflect on my struggle over the years to become financially literate as a great contest with difficult challenges and ultimately satisfying rewards. So what are some of the challenges I faced, and I expect that you will face, in your quest to become financially literate? Ironically, the greatest challenge you’ll … Read more
Take a drive through downtown Toronto’s financial district some evening and you’ll see tall, well-lit buildings. These are the ivory towers built on financial empires: Manulife Financial, Brookfield Asset Management, CIBC, TD Canada Trust, BMO, CI Financial, and Sun Life, to name but a few. Ever wonder who pays for those ivory towers? How do … Read more
Have you heard the term annuity and wondered what it is or how it works? Could it be right for you? Let’s break it down simply and clearly. What is an Annuity? An annuity is a contract between you and a financial institution, often a life insurance company. You give them money, and in return, … Read more
When it comes to being successful, timing can make all the difference. The timing of your decisions can often determine the results. Making important decisions early can increase your chances of success, while delaying them can lead to missed opportunities. In many cases, institutions use timing to their advantage, often at our expense. How you … Read more
Social Boundaries Money has a way of breaking people into classes and throughout history we have always had a class system in our society. In our modern society we often talk about where the majority of people spend their lives – the middle class. This is merely the middle ground between two extremes; the poor … Read more
The learning process is often viewed as being cruel and painful because we typically learn by failing. Our failures force us to do better and as the saying goes we learn from our mistakes. Many people believe they can shortcut the learning process, bypass the unpleasantness of failure, and quickly change but unfortunately this rarely … Read more
These top ten lists are everywhere but are most annoying to me when it comes to managing your finances. Whether it’s the top ten ways to save more, spend less or trim your budget these lists all have a common theme: the importance of tracking your expenses. We only have eight here “8 Sensible Living … Read more
When I reflect back on my education I’m often left wondering why I was taught certain subjects and to such great detail. As a scientist I was required to learn advanced level calculus, differential equations, chemistry, and physics. It’s certainly nice to have some knowledge about these sciences. But I can honestly say I’ve never … Read more
When it comes to investing your hard earned money many people agonize over what investments to pick. I’m reminded of an old joke investment advisors used to tell clients. When markets are way down such as during a recession you could take the stock listings from a newspaper and throw darts at the paper to … Read more
