The Rational Reminder Podcast Episode 55: Being Frugal: The Crux of Financial Happiness

So … you’re thinking about retiring. Someday, anyway. To prepare, you’ve been saving to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). Maybe you’ve got a pension at work, and have been calculating what to expect from the government.

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.

Like it or not, many ETF investors are about to get an extra dose of China in their portfolios this year, thanks in part to index provider MSCI. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is certainly not a fan of their decision. He has recently written to MSCI’s CEO, looking for answers as to why the company has included China A shares in their emerging markets indexes.

In many walks of life, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. What about in your portfolio? Every so often, I hear someone argue that investing in index funds can leave you over-diversified. The logic goes something like this: Instead of buying all of the companies in an index, you could buy a subset of only the “good” ones, to potentially outperform the index as a whole.

Andrew Hallam wrote a post in 2018 assessing the performance of Dimensional Fund Advisors funds against what he proposed as comparable Vanguard funds. Hallam is not the first person to attempt this analysis.

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.

“It’s not you, it’s me”. These words have been professed during breakups throughout history, so we all know what they really mean: “I can do better”.

The usual rule of thumb that people use to plan how to fund their retirement is to withdraw 4% a year from their pool of savings.

The choices seem endless. Downsize to a condo, move to warmer climes, split your time in two or more places, be a ski bum, or beach bunny, or live in an RV and hit the road? It’s a big decision, and potentially expensive if its the wrong one. How do you choose?

At long last, the Ontario government is regulating who can use the titles of financial planner and financial advisor in the province.