Why Budgets and Budgeting Don’t Work
Budgets Don’t Work! Rethinking Budgeting: The Cash Flow Approach When I first started in the financial business, we were taught that helping clients determine their budget was beneficial to them reaching their financial goals. I’ve seen firsthand the cringe that the word “budget” can elicit. It’s like the word “diet”—immediately, one imagines restrictions, limitations, and […]
Should You DIY Your Financial Planning?
My TED Talk on DIY Financial Planning Can a DIY Investor Really do Proper Financial Planning? I was recently asked to speak on whether I thought a person could create an effective Do-It-Yourself (DIY) financial plan or is it necessary to hire a professional to help in this important area of their lives. I welcomed […]
When to take CPP and OAS
CPP and OAS Starting Age Mistiming the Start Dates of these Government Benefits can Help or Harm your Retirement Plans Who doesn’t want “free” money from the government? If you’ve ever looked at your pay stub or tax return, you know that the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) pension benefits you […]
Pack Wisely
Moving through life, from our childhood and school-age years, through our working life, and finally into retirement, has sometimes been described as a journey. I’ve heard financial advisors use analogies of a car trip, an airplane flight, or sailing on the ocean to relate life’s “journey”. I was hiking the other day on a very […]
Where are the Kardashians when you need them?
One of my guilty TV-watching pleasures is a show called “American Pickers”. It’s a reality show (supposedly) that follows a couple of guys who travel the U.S. by van, stopping in on the homesteads of people who have amassed collections of antiques, collectibles, or just plain junk. I’m amazed at the amount of stuff people […]