My Own Advisor

Square Foot Gardening 101 – Investing In Your Health

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Mark | 10 Comments

Don’t have a green thumb? Are you a novice gardener? Don’t have lots of space for a garden but still want one? Square Foot Gardening (SFG) might be for you. Developed by Mel Bartholomew in the mid-1970s, Mel invented Square Foot…

Favourite Takeaways – Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful in Canadian Investments Today – Part 2 of 2

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Mark | 2 Comments

Favourite Takeaways – Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful in Canadian Investments Today – Part 2 of 2 Last week, I started to share my favourite takeaways from Rob Carrick’s Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful…

My Favourite Takeaways – Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful in Canadian Investments Today – Part 1 of 2

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Mark | 6 Comments

My Favourite Takeaways – Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful in Canadian Investments Today – Part 1 of 2 I’ve been meaning to post a review of Rob Carrick’s Guide to What’s Good, Bad and Downright Awful in…

April 2012 Dividend Income Update

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Mark | 20 Comments

April 2012 Dividend Income Update Last month in my dividend income update, I wrote “as an investor, I should never lose sight of the risks direct stock ownership can mean.” How true, because active money management comes with more risks than…

My struggle with GDSR and TDSR

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Mark | 10 Comments

My struggle with GDSR and TDSR I’ve heard these terms thrown around by a few financial institutions from time to time. Here is a quick look and my quick take on them: Gross Debt Service Ratio (GDSR) – % income…

Why we want a $10,000 emergency fund

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Mark | 32 Comments

Why we want a $10,000 emergency fund A $10,000 emergency fund. Seems like a pile of money doesn’t it? Some time ago, Mike Holman wrote an article for Moneyville in the Toronto Star and his emergency fund needs are even larger,…

The Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Dividend Paying Stocks

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Mark | 13 Comments

The Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Dividend Paying Stocks The following is a post by Kanwal Sarai, the founder of Simply Investing. Dividends are cash payments made to shareholders. As a shareholder you are part owner of the company…

When to sell a dividend paying stock

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Mark | 27 Comments

When to sell a dividend paying stock If you watched one of your investments drop 10% in value, would you sell it? What about 20% in one year? What about over 50% since 2008? A company I own has recently…

How we spent our tax refund this year

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Mark | 8 Comments

Many weeks ago, I offered up a question for readers to consider: What would you do with $1,000? In that article, I shared what I’d do with that tidy sum if it found me. Whether you save the money, spend…

March 2012 Dividend Income Update

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Mark | 20 Comments

March 2012 Dividend Income Update As an investor I should never lose sight of the risks direct stock ownership can mean. Apple was a dud years ago and now look at this company, their “i” products are everywhere. Nortel, well, you…

Featured Posts

October 2023 Dividend Income Update

Why would anyone own bonds now?

Should you have 100% of your portfolio in stocks?

How your part-time job can support your retirement

Watch out for RRSP and RRIF taxation

Why the 4% rule is actually (still) a decent rule of thumb

The Best All-in-One Exchange Traded Funds

Why my goal to live off dividends remains alive and well

I’m single – is it possible to retire at age 55?

If you spend that RRSP refund then TFSA makes more sense

2023 Financial Goals

How much do you need to retire on $7,000 per month?

How are you going to navigate a recession?

How much cash should you keep?

ETFs to generate retirement income

How much do you need to retire on $5,000 per month?

Can I retire at age 55 with higher inflation?

How and when to withdraw from RRSP and TFSA

How to Beat the TSX (BTSX)

How I built my dividend portfolio

Millennials want to FIRE at age 50

My Financial Independence Plan

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