With rates as low and competitive as they have ever been, it’s as close to a “buyers” market in life insurance as you’ll probably ever see. Still, in these cash-strapped times, curbing all costs and expenses is a priority for most people, and buying life insurance is no different.
Intro When it comes to managing your personal finances, paying someone else to decide where to put your money may feel counter-intuitive. After all, who knows and understands your financial needs and goals better than you? Well, the truth is that a financial professional is far better suited to the task. Hiring a financial professional could be one of the best financial moves you make this year. Their utility is far greater than your capacity...
Retirement can invoke a mix of conflicting emotions from anticipation to fear, excitement to anxiety. It’s one of the biggest life changes we experience in our adult lives. Most of us anticipate and save for it for decades. But, going from receiving a paycheck for most of your adult life to living off the wealth you have amassed is no doubt an unnerving transition. Have I saved enough to live off of? How will I...
Annuities have a long and historic lineage dating back to ancient times when Roman citizens and soldiers would receive an “annua”, or annual stipend, from the government in exchange for a lump sum of money.
Answer this riddle: what’s the one thing that will eventually happen to everyone, but generally, no one wants to discuss? Death is a subject that immediately conjures up all sorts of emotions because, let’s be honest, the absence of being IS emotional. But, death is also cause for practicality.
It is no secret that the typical Canadian is working long hours with little respite compared to other countries with large economies. Full-time employees report an average work week of 47 hours, and four out of 10 North American workers say they work over 50 hours a week.
Intro If you’ve been investing in stocks or bonds for several years, you may feel like you’re beginning to get a hang of this precarious trade. At this point, you may be making plans to diversify your portfolio or research a more complex investment strategy. But in reality, you should be using this time to get back to the basics. Regardless of how long or how much you’ve invested, there’s never a bad time to...
Green, clean energy has reached new heights in North America. There are more hybrids than ever on the streets, wind turbines out above the cornfields, solar panels on roofs, and even that new convenience store down the street is LEED certified. It’s not a trend; it’s a shift away from fossil fuels—oil, coal, and natural gas.
Diversification is one of the cornerstones of traditional investment advice. The most common saying we hear is “never put all your eggs in one basket” and the moral holds true. Markets go up and down through economic change, business cycles, and a wide variety of factors changing investment outcomes. Managing these peaks and valleys is the primary goal of an investment plan. The best possible defense against risks in any investment strategy is diverse and...
For some a car is simply a means of getting from point A to point B; for others it’s a status symbol. Cars are a hobby, a passion, for some and necessity for others, but whatever your level of affinity toward automobiles is, there comes a time where just about everyone needs to start shopping for a new (or used) one; but, don’t run down to the local dealership just yet.
There comes a point in life where you want to begin sharing or gifting all the things you’ve collected over the years—stories, wisdom, financial wealth, etc. And unlike the Ancient Egyptians believed, you cannot take your worldly goods with you when your light goes out.
The 2015 Retirement Confidence Survey revealed that only 24% of today’s workers are very confident that they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement years.