People’s Perception of Themselves is Hard to Break

The most common scenario I run into with retired clients is that they have more money than they will ever need. They have earned, saved and lived within their means for so long, they don’t know any different.

But here is the problem...

Someone reading this needs to give themselves permission to ‘take Fridays off.’ Is it you? 

Maybe it’s not a short work week, but an extra long vacation, or a start time of 10am and not feeling guilty about it. Can you give yourself permission to take the dog for a walk at...

Above is a graph of a typical retiree’s spending over time. It’s not scientific; it’s not derived from a famous study, but it is a trend that I have found to hold true with almost all retired clients.

Let me explain.

The upward slant

Life costs more every year. The...

If your family is anything like mine, you’re spending money at breakneck speeds. It is truly impressive how quickly a monthly pay cheque can be eaten up by gymnastics dues, swim lessons, and the occasional wing night.

I’ve never felt so rich and so poor simultaneously.

The benefit I...

Hey there, freelancers and gig economy warriors! 

A topic that hits close to home for many of us these days: managing our finances in the wild world of freelancing and inconsistent income. Below we dive into some strategies for those whose income is as consistent as the Southern Alberta...

What life are you planning for?

Northstar Goals

My dream as a future grandparent is to be able to drop what I am doing and help our girls with their kids any time they need it (or whenever I feel like it). It’s a “Northstar” type of goal for me; one that is guiding many of the...

Unattainable goals

Humpback whales are breaching in the background as I type this.

I have a steaming hot cup of black coffee, chill beats playing in the background, and the kids are eating cereal at the counter.

Our day will consist of bizarrely smooth and silky shaved ice, snorkeling with...

To a person, all of my retired clients start with this goal: 'I do not want to be a financial burden.'  Sure, it is worded differently or coded as, 'Will we have enough?', but most people want the same thing - to be able to take care of themselves financially. 

Here is how to do that......

First, we determine how much you spend; without knowing what your ideal quality of life now looks like, it’s impossible to predict the future.

Next, how many years until you retire? What will your life cost you at that point?

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲? No crystal balls here, but we...