This should not be a controversial take, but it is: 

You should not care what ‘the markets’ are doing.  

Focus on you and your plan.

The market is not a logical place

Stock markets are notoriously irrational places; they can go up or down based on a tweet, a war...

…or so I’ve been told.

People doing what I am doing charge up to $2,500 for what I give away for free.

Is it worth $2,500? Yes, 100% it is. A proper financial plan will save some hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars over the years. 

I will drive to people’s...

 I get it, bearing your financial details can make you feel exposed and vulnerable, maybe even judged.

Giving someone access to your finances feels vulnerable, whether you have a little, a lot, or have no idea how much you have. Even (especially) with family and friends, sharing financial...

As a financial advisor, I am compensated by charging my clients a percentage of their assets under management – the value of all of their accounts that I help manage.

In most cases, you can save about 1% by not using me. There are dozens of investment options out there that are very VERY...

There is an investment firm in Calgary called Mawer Investments and they are VERY good at what they do.

The company's slogan is 'Be Boring. Make Money' and that resonates with me at my core! Having been through a fair share of market dips in my 11ish year career, I LOVE boring (and you should...

According to television ads, your financial advisor is a crook who's dead set on robbing you blind and leaving your family poor in retirement.

I have to hand it to the folks at @questrade, they have done a very good job of promoting their platform based on their fees being cheaper. I...

There is a correction in the market – even a recession – coming. I promise.

When, you ask? I have no clue and no one else does either – it's all speculation, but that's not the purpose of this note.

Yes, you (and your portfolio) should be ready for the eventual recession,...

Working with a (𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞) advisor won’t make you rich via hot stock tips or out-of-this-world returns. Investment selection is a small piece of what we do, but it is by no means where you get all of your value from.

Let me explain:

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆: working with an advisor, you...

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 ‘𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐝’ 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
 
To hire a team of CFAs, MBAs, and even PhD’s to manage your hard-earned retirement dollars, you need to only pay as little as 1% per...

Accounting is arguably as boring, if not more boring (or 10X more boring if you ask me) than investing and life insurance. It is so boring, that 'being an accountant' is my standard litmus test for the most boring job on earth

When I met the crew @truenorthaccounting my perception...

Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) were wonderful investments back in the day.
 
However, they now kind-of, sort-of suck for 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 (not all) investors.  They are tied to interest rates, and - as you probably know if you have gotten a mortgage, bought a car, or taken out a...

Almost everyone needs insurance - seriously!  **Almost** anyone...

The 4 situations where insurance is not necessary are:

. 𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚.You do not have kids or other dependents that would have a tough time surviving financially if you were not around to help them.

...