Making a List! But are you checking it twice???

December 18, 2016 - The Montrealer

The holiday countdown is on.  You’ve surely made a list, but have you checked it twice?  Trying to find the “perfect gift” for those on your list can add up, and up, and up, until you’ve blown your budget trying to make everyone happy.  We all have more “stuff” than we need, so before going overboard this year, and spending money on yet another scarf for Aunt Sue, let’s consider the impact that our holiday shopping can have, not only on our pocket books, but on others as well.

 

Transitioning financial management: taking the financial reins away from a partner who is failing

November 9, 2016 - The Montrealer

We recently lived through this with my father. My dad, a highly educated and intelligent man, who was organized, on top of everything, and never missed a birthday or bill payment, was being slowly taken away by Alzheimer’s. He had always been the one who managed the finances, paid the bills, and handled their investments, with me as their financial advisor. It slowly became clear that my mom would have to take over all this responsibility.

 

Kids & Money: more than just their piggy banks

October 22, 2016 - The Montrealer

Money can be a difficult concept for kids to get. Whether it be the more basic concepts of banking, or how credit cards work, to the more complex such as investing, compounding and financial planning. Considering how important financial skills are in life, learning about money and developing good financial habits is one of the most important life lessons children can learn.

 

Is Your Money Safe in Cyber-Space?

September 11, 2016 - The Montrealer

Almost 90% of Canadian households are connected to the internet¹. Over the past few decades, the internet has grown from a simple communication tool, to something so big that it touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Even when we’re not online, information about our health, finances, careers, and even our personal life is vulnerable. The internet can be a great tool for investors, and offers a wealth of knowledge about financial markets and personal investing. But how do you keep your money safe?

 

Retirement: and the “gap” that you may not realize exists

August 21, 2016 - The Montrealer

Most people think of a retirement plan as “How much do I need to save for retirement”. But it can be much more than that if properly done. Whether you are working or retired, a retirement plan will give most people a sense of empowerment over their financial future. Getting clarity about where you stand financially – either good or bad – puts you in a position to make more informed choices.

 

Are you getting what you pay for?

July 12, 2016 - The Montrealer

In the past few months, you may have seen mention of CRM2 either on your investment statements, or in the newspaper.  It may not be the most exciting topic, but if you have investments, it will likely affect you.  The investment industry has been phasing in CRM2 in stages since 2014. What is CRM2? How does it affect you?

 

Your Habits? Will they make you rich or poor?

June 17, 2016 - The Montrealer

Money and finances rank way up there with health and relationships when it comes to what’s important in most people’s lives. They can be the source of much comfort or much anxiety. Over the course of my career, I have worked with many financially successful people. What’s interesting, is that it didn’t seem to matter whether they built their wealth from being a high income earner, or if they earned very modestly during their careers.  The common factor amongst almost all of them, is their habits.

 

What can we learn from where the wealthy are investing their money? Is real estate the way to go?

May 12, 2016 - The Montrealer

Investors these days are wondering where to turn, not only to protect their nest egg, but to achieve returns that are above 1-2%.  Looking at where the wealthy are currently investing their money can give the rest of us some direction as to where we might consider investing our own.

 

The Importance of Giving

March 21, 2016 - The Montrealer

A wide range of research supports the fact that giving makes us feel happier and enjoy better health. In fact, a 2008 study* by a Harvard Business School professor found that giving money to someone else, lifted participants’ happiness more than spending it on themselves (despite participants’ prediction that spending it on themselves would make them happier.)

 

 

Stock Market: Is current stock market pessimism warranted?

February 16, 2016 - The Montrealer

We’ve had a pretty wild ride in the stock market over the past six months. I won’t go into all the reasons, as we’ve been hearing about the same news flow for months – China, oil, slow global growth. Nothing has really changed much, but the markets have been extremely volatile through the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016. Why?