Blog
· 3 min read · investing, behavioral-finance, psychology
Bumper Sticker Theory
Bumper stickers and tattoos follow the same pattern: zero, or a lot, and personal finance does too. The first one is the only hard one.
· 5 min read · investing, etfs, veqt
The Only Wrong Move Is Not Picking One
VEQT vs XEQT is the same paralysis in every aisle: which all-in-one ETF, which horizon bucket, which bank mutual-fund clone. Picking wrong inside a registered account is cheap. Not picking costs you everything.
· 4 min read · rrsp, tfsa, tax
Your RRSP Refund Isn't Free Money
The government isn't giving you free money. They're buying a stake in your retirement. Understanding this changes everything about how you use your RRSP.
· 5 min read · guide, family
What is CCB?
The Canada Child Benefit is tax-free cash for families, but it phases out fast as income rises. RRSP contributions lower your family net income and can directly increase your CCB.
· 6 min read · guide, retirement
What is OAS?
Old Age Security is Canada's universal senior benefit, but most Canadians miss the clawback. Above about $93K of net income, the government takes 15 cents of every OAS dollar back.
· 3 min read · guide, retirement
What Is GIS?
GIS is a monthly benefit paid to low-income seniors who receive Old Age Security (OAS). Unlike OAS which provides partial pensions for 10-39 years of residency
· 3 min read · optimization, home
Dishwasher Meta: Rinse Aid vs. Heated Dry
I’ve always been the guy who obsesses over utility bills, and I’m embracing it. So when a friend mentioned they use the heated‑dry setting instead of rinse aid
· 4 min read · review, home, optimization
My First Year with a Heat Pump: Expectations vs. Reality
When I decided to install a heat pump last year, I had high hopes for energy savings and environmental benefits. Now, after a full year of use, I’m ready to sha
· 4 min read · guide, savings, optimization
How to save money planning a wedding...
After 10 years with my SO we decided it was time to tie the proverbial knot and through this process we learned a lot about the wedding industry and (hopefully)
· 6 min read · guide, home, optimization
Dual Fuel vs Electric heat
A common argument online is that heating with electricity is expensive and the better option is almost always combining a heat pump with a natural gas furnace,
· 4 min read · guide, home, optimization
Security Cameras on a Budget
You don’t need a monthly subscription, a polished app, or a $1000 cloud-connected camera fleet to feel safe at home. The real win? A security setup that puts yo
· 6 min read · guide, home, optimization
Tiered rates vs Time of use
This may not be applicable to every province but I live in Ontario where 96% of people are on time-of-use (TOU) even though tiered pricing has been offered for
· 4 min read · optimization, home
My mom was wrong about hydro (and yours probably was too)
I have vivid memories of my mom absolutely livid that I ran the dryer before 7pm and these were not infrequent encounters. Growing up I was constantly reminded
· 11 min read · guide, home, optimization
Guide to a net zero home
Two years ago my partner and I became home owners and moved into our first (and hopefully last) home. As our plans to start a family get closer we want to prepa
· 4 min read · guide, savings, optimization
3 Steps to saving simply!
Many of my clients know they should be saving more but traditional canadian banks can actively work against them; high banking fees, low interest rates, and exp
· 6 min read · guide, mortgage, retirement
What if you never buy a house?
As a money coach I have many clients that believe owning a home is a prerequisite to retiring, either to live in "rent free" or to eventually downsize and use t
· 5 min read · guide, retirement
Considerations for Retirement
As I transitioned from simply managing my own finances to helping other with their financial planning I have had the opportunity to see finances through the eye
· 5 min read · guide, investing, fees
Mutual Funds vs Index Funds: What You're Actually Paying
Mutual funds offer convenience but fees of 1 to 3% can cost hundreds of thousands over a lifetime. Here's how to compare allocations and switch to low-cost index ETFs.
· 4 min read · optimization
Considering Opportunity Cost
My goal in life is to be happy and money is one of many tools that allows me and my family to do the things that bring us happiness. I am going to go over some
· 5 min read · rrsp, tfsa
RRSP is a TFSA in disguise
The RRSP seems like this complex investment vehicle with all these rules and restrictions but with a couple caviets it offers essentially the same tax free grow
· 5 min read · guide, savings, unregistered
How to manage an emergency fund
An emergency fund is an amount of money that you have immediately available for large unexpected costs and/or unexpected periods of reduced income. Many folks
· 4 min read · guide, rrsp, tfsa
TFSA or RRSP or Unregistered Investing
Not everyone can max out their registered accounts every year but with record high savings rates during COVID Canadas average savings rate is between 5-15%, so
· 5 min read · guide, rrsp, savings
Self-directed Investing in 5 steps
DIY is one of the best ways to save money, changing your own oil, bagged lunches, mowing your lawn, shoveling your laneway; but self directed investing will sav
· 4 min read · review, book, optimization
Lifecycle Investing: Leveraged Passive Investing
As I was researching how you could use leverage with a passive investing strategy I found the book "Lifecycle Investing" by Ian Aryes and Barry Nalebuff. It de
· 3 min read · optimization, savings
Avoid minimum balances
Most big banks have fees but the reality is that many will waive those fees if you keep a minimum balance in the account, while this sounds like a deal you may
· 5 min read · guide, optimization
Get your tax refund early
Getting a big tax refund means you paid too much money to the government, these funds could have been in your investment account growing but weren’t. Big refund
· 4 min read · rrsp, tfsa, unregistered
Reduce fees on index funds
"All-in-one" index funds (AIO) have become extremely popular recently as they make it dead simple to have a globally diversified portfolio that matches your nee
· 4 min read · Mortgage
What is the First Time Home Buyers Incentive
The "First time home buyers incentive" (FTHBI) is often confused with the "Home Buyers Plan" (HBP) but they could not be more different. To find out about the H
· 4 min read · Mortgage, rrsp, guide
What is the Home Buyers Plan
There is alot of confusion on what incentives are available to home buyers. One of the most powerful tools for Canadians is the "Home Buyers Plan" (HBP). What
· 2 min read · guide, rrsp, tfsa
What to do when you fill your RRSP and TFSA
So your have been a diligent Canadian and have worked hard and saved agressively to max out your registered accounts, now what do you do? 1. Unregistered inve
· 6 min read · guide, rrsp
What is an RRSP?
If you Canadian the “Registered Retirement Savings Plan” RRSP is a vital investment vehicle, while it may not be quite as valuable as your TFSA it can reduce th
· 2 min read · guide, tfsa
How to make $500,000 with your TFSA
I make no exaggeration in saying that the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) will be the single most valuable savings tool for many Canadians. If used properly it
· 5 min read · guide, rrsp, tax
Should you defer RRSP deduction until you're in a higher bracket?
Deferring your RRSP tax deduction can increase your refund in a higher-income year, but the opportunity cost of waiting is real. Here's when it might make sense.
· 5 min read · guide, tfsa
What are All-in-one index funds
Your bank is probably evil and so is mine. Any of the big banks in Canada (and even the smaller ones) push their own mutual funds on financially ignorant indivi
· 3 min read · guide, tfsa
What is a TFSA?
The Tax Free Savings Account is the most powerful investment tool available to most Canadians. Here's how it works, how much room you have, and what to put in it.
· 2 min read · guide, roboadvisor, tfsa
Wealthsimple vs Questrade 2021
In the world of retail investing and saving, Wealthsimple and Questrade have poured millions of dollars into advertising this past year to get you thinking abou