ARTICLES BY CATEGORY: managing-cash-flow-and-debt
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Emotions and Equities —The Dissection of a Market Correction
By Christian White on 24 Oct 2025
Case Study: Jack and Jill, both 60, are a few years from full retirement. They own a mortgage-free townhouse and have accumulated $1.5 million in retirement assets split evenly between fixed income and global equities. Jill has a defined benefit pension of $3,400/month starting at age 62. They also hold $350,000 in cash from downsizing … Emotions and Equities —The Dissection of a Market Correction
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Case Study: Buying a Recreational Property
By Bryson Milley on 16 Oct 2024
Having a recreational property is really something special. Homes are where parents parent, but at the cottage/cabin/camp, parents are “way more fun!”
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Winning By Not Losing
By Christian White on 21 Apr 2023
Nostradamus does not work on Wall Street (it would be nice if he did!). The idea that the best investment managers have a crystal ball is not accurate.
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Tapping Your Portfolio for Some Quick Cash
By John Hale on 12 Jan 2023
Given the high inflation we have all experienced over the last 12 months, it comes as no surprise that many household budgets are being pushed to their limit.
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Stuck In a Box?
By Cecilia Tsang on 23 Jul 2021
Our conscious mind likes to create “boxes” that we use to organize the world around us. These boxes are often created through our upbringing and the influence of our parents, peers, society, and the media.
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How Small Things Can Make a Big Difference
By Brett A. Simpson on 22 Oct 2018
After thirty-five years of financial advising, I would like to share some insights I’ve recognized as important ingredients in effective integrated wealth management.
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Pools and Streams – Retirement Income
By Alain Quennec on 03 Jul 2017
Louise is retiring soon, and it just dawned on her that she isn’t clear what’s going to happen to her cash flow after the regular paycheques stop coming in. I find this a great source of concern among the nearly-retired…
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Identity Theft Online
By Cecilia Tsang on 03 Jul 2017
Just last week, a good friend of mine told me that his bank account had been compromised. He received several PayPal withdrawals that he didn’t authorize and thousands of his funds were gone.
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The Importance of Budgeting
By Nick Hearne on 03 Jul 2017
A strong awareness and understanding of your personal finances is an integral part of the financial planning process. This holds true regardless of your phase in the financial life cycle.
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Q and A: My wife recently died and I am not clear on how this will change my government benefits or my income tax situation.
By on 03 Apr 2017
Answer: One of the major implications for you will be that you will no longer be able to split pension or RRIF (Registered Retirement Income Fund) income on your income tax returns.
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Keeping More of what you Earn
By Christian White on 03 Apr 2017
You’ve saved long and hard for many years. You’ve made sacrifices and put your long-term needs ahead of your current desires for that vacation, the newer car or upgrading the kitchen.
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Shopping for a New Car – To Lease or To Buy?
By on 03 Apr 2017
You’ve made the decision to purchase a new vehicle, and now you must ask yourself – should I lease or should I buy? This is a question that we come across time and again with our clients.
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Debt Management and Mortgage Services
By Mark Neufeld on 03 Apr 2017
If you are seeking a new mortgage, or have a mortgage that is coming up for renewal soon, then this article is for you.
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2016 Horizons Report
By Clay Gillespie on 01 Jul 2016
We are pleased to present the results of the 2016 Horizons Retirement Report. This report summarizes the dreams, fears, hopes and challenges of Canadians planning to retire within the next 3 to 7 years.
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Financial Literacy: Talking to our Children about Money
By Vera Vlaovich on 01 Jan 2016
Teaching our children about money and how to handle it can oftentimes be a difficult topic for many parents.
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Building an Efficient and Effective Emergency Fund
By Shaun Sun on 01 Jul 2014
One of the fables I remember repeated numerous times during grade school was Aesop’s tale of the ant and the grasshopper.
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Tax Savings and RRSPs
By John Hale on 01 Jan 2014
Many of our clients use Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) as one of the pillars of their wealth building strategy. An RRSP is a type of retirement savings plan that is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.
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The One Thing
By Brett A. Simpson on 01 Oct 2013
In the 1991 movie “City Slickers”, Curly (Jack Palance) asks Mitch (Billy Crystal): “Do you know what the secret to life is?”
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Horizons Retirement Report 2013
By Clay Gillespie on 01 Jul 2013
We’ve just completed the 2013 edition of the Horizons Retirement Report. This survey is done with Canadians who are approaching retirement.
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Women Provide Investment Lessons
By Teresa Black Hughes on 01 Apr 2013
Women are often personally connected to the object and process of learning. Their sense of identity, self-esteem, social world and power affect how they learn.
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Money and Your Mental Health
By Anne Hammond on 13 Feb 2024
Many people believe that managing their money is only about math, but did you know that your mental health is related to your money too?
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Review Your Variable Rate Loans in light of Higher Interest Rates
By John Hale on 16 Mar 2022
On March 2nd, 2022, the Bank of Canada increased its overnight interest rate by 0.25% to 0.50%, in what is widely expected to be the first of a series of small rate hikes this year to cool the economy and tame inflation.
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Four Focus Points for a Successful Portfolio
By Chris Eynon on 20 Jan 2022
The balance of any successful portfolio should consider the following: Liquidity, Income, Preservation of Capital and Growth
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The Downside of Tax Refunds
By Anthony Ma on 18 May 2021
Tax time can come with its many challenges, including navigating through a pile of paperwork to ensure you haven’t missed reporting any tax slips to CRA.
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Preserve and Improve your Credit Score
By Nick Hearne on 17 Nov 2020
A solid credit score is your endorsement as a desirable borrower, providing you with access to capital at better rates, saving you considerable interest costs and helping you achieve your financial goals.
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Inflation Rises To 2.5% In June…The Highest Since 2012
By Vera Vlaovich on 25 Jul 2018
Statistics Canada recently reported that Canada’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.5% in June. In addition, consumer prices grew faster than in the previous six years.
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A New Year’s Resolution You Shouldn’t Break – Saving For Retirement!
By on 20 Dec 2017
Many of us set New Year’s resolutions for ourselves and often those resolutions have to do with finances. January is the month we say, “Ok, this year I am going to save more and spend less”. By February, sometimes those resolutions are long forgotten.
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Estate Planning Tips for Real Estate Investors
By on 20 Dec 2017
For many Canadians, the majority of their wealth is held in personally-owned real estate. For most, this will be limited to their principal residence; however, investment in recreational and real estate investment property also form a substantial part of estates. Due to the nature of real estate, it is important to do estate planning to realize optimum gain and minimize tax implications.
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Financial Planning – more exciting than you’d think
By on 20 Dec 2017
November is Financial Literacy Month and the week of November 16th–22nd is hailed as Financial Planning Week. Prominent not-for-profit organizations, Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) and the Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF) strive to raise awareness of financial planning as fundamental to the financial well-being of Canadians.
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Making that RRSP contribution before the deadline
By Shaun Sun on 20 Dec 2017
So, you haven’t fully ‘topped-up’ your RRSP? There’s still time to make a contribution and have it count towards reducing your taxable income earned in 2015, if you do so before February 29th. Here are some things to consider before the deadline:
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Is Your Daughter or Son off to University/College this Fall?
By Vera Vlaovich on 20 Dec 2017
September will soon be upon us and with ‘back to school’, your daughter or son may be entering their first year of university/college. Often, this transition is full of angst for both young adults and parents alike particularly if the student will attend an out-of-town university. The move includes living in a dorm, making new friends, adjusting to their new studies and most importantly— it may be their first experience of living away from home.
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Less Time Shopping, More Time Planning
By on 20 Dec 2017
We haven’t hit Halloween yet, but I have already seen Christmas decorations at Costco.
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Taking Stock and Making Resolutions
By Anne Hammond on 20 Dec 2017
As the year draws to a close… if you’re like me, you may be looking back over the year – considering what worked, what didn’t, and what you might like to do differently or focus on next year.
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Don’t Overlook a Guarantee of 20%, ever
By Christian White on 20 Dec 2017
When a child is a resident of Canada and receives a permanent social insurance number, they instantly qualify for Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) benefits.
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Income Splitting 101
By Bryn Hamilton on 20 Dec 2017
If you or your partner receive qualified pension income, the federal government’s pension income-splitting provisions could mean extra money in your pocket when you file your income tax returns.
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Sometimes Old Habits Require New Thinking
By Brett A. Simpson on 20 Dec 2017
Credit can be an extremely useful financial tool or a slippery slope to financial malpractice. Each of us must choose wisely how we manage our credit capacity (or lack thereof!).