Canadian Personal Finance News | April 2015

I don't run into too many people who love to budget. And when you add another person to the mix, like a spouse or partner, there's a good chance one of you will actually hate the idea. Budgeting clearly has a marketing problem. It's a bit like flossing. We understand...

Most people don't appreciate how complex investment regulation really is, or what a diverse ecosystem of agencies we've got overseeing everybody's money. For example, few Canadians realize that our country's constitution prevents provincial securities regulators from governing some investment products sold by banks. There are federal banking regulators responsible for that.

Yesterday's federal budget included several changes that will affect investors-in the future if not immediately. Let's look at the three most important announcements, with a focus on how they may apply to those who use an index strategy with ETFs: The biggest headline was the increase in annual TFSA contribution room from $5,500 to $10,000, beginning immediately.

For retirees who don't wish to take any market risk, one of the most straightforward retirement income strategies is to simply purchase a bond ladder that will provide the desired cash flows in each year of retirement. Ideally, the payments are secured out to an advanced age, "just in case" the retiree lives that long...

Related Content Investors Grow Cautious on Stocks May was the worst month in over a year for flows to U.S. equities, while many core bond funds are receiving inflows as rising-rate concerns abate. Vanguard Index Swap All About Cost The switch from MSCI to FTSE and CRSP indexes for 22 Vanguard funds is all about three things, says Vanguard principal Joel Dickson: cost, cost, cost.

In 2010 I was the primary relationship manager for a client of my former firm. This client happened to be a large financial services membership organization with a healthy balance sheet, including a large long-term endowment that we were hired to help manage.

The fiduciary debate is about whether or not a broker or financial should have to sell you the best possible financial product or just a product that's good enough but that may carry alternate incentives for the salesperson. Today's story at DealBook illustrates why this is so important.

"Can it really be that simple?" Over my career, I've heard these words from so many people. Clients, friends and family all just assumed that the process of financial planning needed to be complex. This assumption doesn't surprise me. The traditional financial industry is built, in large part, on the...

You've probably seen some of those studies hectoring Canadians about not saving enough for retirement. Often they draw that conclusion after presenting a survey, such as a recent one which found "only" 48% of Canadians are currently saving for retirement. If those kinds of studies make you feel guilty for not saving or not saving enough, you're not alone.

"Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company." -Mark Twain "My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is." -Ellen Degeneres I used to be a pretty decent competitive poker player.

Like most professions, everything is not always as it appears in the finance industry. Here are a few truths you will rarely hear from anyone that works in finance. No one really knows what's going on most of the time. It's been well documented that not many people are very good at predicting the future, especially in the financial markets.