- My Own Advisor

Weekend Reading – What $1.2M gets you, debt clocks, investing keys, giveaways and more

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Mark | 13 Comments

Welcome to some Weekend Reading friends, thanks for visiting. Earlier this week, I got some mail from a few Brookfield companies I own, that related to a “U.S. Tax Package”. That was a little concerning but I have since figured…

Retirement case study – can they do it in 10 years?

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Mark | 21 Comments

I recently read a profile in The Globe about a couple wondering if they could retire in another 10 years. I’ll offer my take on their plans and a comparison to our own. The Bio: David, 52, and Ruth, 50.…

A kid’s guide to financial literacy – M is for Money giveaway

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Mark | 17 Comments

In the 2009 budget, the (then) federal Minister of Finance announced intentions to establish a national task force dedicated to the issue of financial literacy. This Task Force would provide advice and recommendations on a national strategy to strengthen the…

Weekend Reading – Federal budget highlights, dividends, frugal NBA stars and more

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Mark | 44 Comments

Welcome to some long Easter Weekend Reading folks – thanks for visiting. Earlier this week, the new Liberal government rolled out their spending plans for the next year (and more) and announced they would run a budget deficit of $29…

2016 Financial Goals – March Update

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Mark | 18 Comments

Welcome to my first financial goals update for 2016. I like this napkin-drawing from Carl Richards, because it’s very true. All plans are basically a set of assumptions (since nobody knows what the future will bring). This doesn’t mean plans…

Why you failed your New Year money resolutions

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Mark | 11 Comments

New Year resolutions are much easier said than done. I recall Preet Banerjee’s latest book told us to Stop Over-Thinking Your Money but let’s face it, good habits are hard to create and bad habits are very hard to break. …

Canadian stocks to buy and hold

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Mark | 38 Comments

Canadian stocks to buy and hold Let’s face it – stock picking – as those indexers tend to call it can be risky business, riskier business than indexing at least. But there are some Canadian stocks to buy and hold…

Weekend Reading – Giveaways, asset quilts, income, Vancouver home prices and more

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Mark | 29 Comments

Welcome to some new Weekend Reading friends! Earlier this week I contacted the winners of my TurboTax Canada giveaway but unfortunately only a couple of folks got back to me on time so I might need to draw a few…

The Essential Retirement Guide – Review and Giveaway

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Mark | 35 Comments

“In a time when we are constantly being told that we are living so much longer than we used to, it may be hard to believe that the average person has little better than a 50-50 chance of making it…

Asset allocation in retirement

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Mark | 64 Comments

Asset allocation in retirement If you think you’re confused about how best to de-accumulate assets to cover retirement expenses, you’re not alone. I’ve read countless articles about how to preserve capital while creating some sort of income stream to cover…