Personal Wealth

The foundation of many Canadians’ retirement is the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The CPP is designed to replace a certain amount of your average work earnings, up to maximum limits each year. I outline what CPP is, how it works, and how much it might pay out.

In investing and in life, we know we can’t always control the outcomes that occur from the decisions we make. Bad things can happen to the wisest among us. Likewise, even a fool can get lucky.

How much of your current income will you need in retirement? The answer to this question is called the replacement ratio and is a major driver of the retirement planning piece. It will be different for everyone, so I outline how you can figure out your own replacement ratio that will ultimately determine how much you need to save for retirement.

Since the founding of PWL Capital, we have adhered to the principle that our clients’ interests must come first in all our interactions and decisions.

With low interest rates, fewer defined benefit pension plans and longer life expectancies, more people than ever are concerned about outliving their savings in retirement.

When talking about saving for retirement, most people default to the common 10 or 15 percent of income towards retirement. But are those numbers accurate and is this a reasonable approach? I outline this traditional approach, and compare it to another approach that takes into consideration a typical Canadian’s financial scenario.

On the Rational Reminder today we are joined by Ellen Roseman from The Toronto Star, who has been writing and working in the realm of Canadian personal finance and consumer rights for many years.

Welcome back to the Rational Reminder Podcast! We’re nearing our one-year anniversary, and we are still getting more listeners every episode and we have some incredible guests lined up for you!

For most millennials, retirement seems like it’s ages away; a future you problem. The cards might seem to be stacked against us: the number of Defined Benefit pension plans are falling, we’re living longer, student debt levels are rising, and house prices are massive compared to our incomes. I break down the basic concepts of retirement planning in this video to help you get started.

Should GICs Replace Bonds in a Portfolio? To answer this question, we first need to understand the difference between a bond fund’s yield to maturity and the interest rate on a GIC. We then need to understand the relative tax efficiency of GICs compared to bond funds, and how it may impact after-tax returns.