Recent Articles

The Client Interview

Posted on January 11, 2016

There is often a sense of nervousness when you go to your first meeting with a new financial planner or advisor. How should you approach the meeting? What and how much should you tell them? What results do you expect from the meeting and from any future interactions?

Generally speaking, there are two approaches that can be taken when dealing with a new advisor. The first approach is to have the advisor review everything in the hopes that he/she will tell you that everything is going to be alright with some modest adjustments.

Tags:

investment planning

Read more about The Client Interview

The Quick Start RRSP

Posted on January 11, 2016

Maureen, age 20, figures she can save $400 each month; or she can keep frittering it away at the mall. She lives with her parents and they think she should save it. Dad says, "Put it into an RRSP and get a tax break as well." Her friends think RRSPs are for old fogies and she doesn't need to start thinking about retirement savings until she's 30.

Tags:

retirement planning

retirement

Read more about The Quick Start RRSP

China's Global Impact

Posted on December 7, 2015

The August correction in the Chinese stock market led to a lot of "how terrible" news coverage and speculation as to whether or not this signaled the end of the China growth story and how it would impact the US and global economies.

Tags:

investment planning

Read more about China's Global Impact

Group Insurance Will Look After Me, Won't It?

Posted on December 7, 2015

Sally has been working for the same company for over twenty years. About a year ago, she was given a new group benefits booklet because her employer had switched insurance companies. Like most people, she put it aside and intended to read it when she "had the time." Sally was just diagnosed with terminal cancer and made the time to read her group booklet. She was upset to learn that the life insurance coverage with the new insurer was only one times annual earnings. The previous coverage had been two and a half times annual earnings.

Tags:

disability

insurance

life insurance

Read more about Group Insurance Will Look After Me, Won't It?

The Big Squeeze!

Posted on October 12, 2015

“Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone.” - Frederic Bastiat

By the time that you read this article, it is very likely that the Federal elections will soon be over. When all the back slapping, hand wringing and hyper-analysis is done, the new political regime will be faced with one inescapable challenge.

Tags:

tax planning

Read more about The Big Squeeze!

How Should I Insure My Mortgage?

Posted on October 12, 2015

Ron and Susan are arranging a mortgage and the banker asks if they'd like to include life insurance to pay it off on death. Sounds like a good idea, so they decide to take it. After filling out and signing a few more forms, they have it.

Tags:

insurance

mortgage

protection