Weekend Reading – Natural disasters, CoPower, summits, top ETFs and more #money stuff
Welcome to another Weekend Reading edition – as more natural disasters rock our planet. At the time of this post, a deadly, severe earthquake has hit off the southern coast of Mexico.
Hurricane Irma continues on its destructive path, headed for more populated Florida this weekend.
These events certainly make me pause and wonder how much damage we’ve done to our planet and how much more chaos lies in our future on this earth – if we continue to collectively live the way we do…
I keep hope it’s never too late to change our behaviour (to combat climate change), and the same applies to our finances. Here are 6 simple ways to get your financial act together.
It’s never too late – 6 simple ways to get your financial act together
If you are passionate about being an impact investor, if you are conscious about your environmental footprint – for future generations, then you may want to consider this innovative investing path: investing in Green Bonds with CoPower.
Take care. See you here next week.
Mark
Financial Samurai shared some insurance tops for natural disasters.
From the oldie but goodie category, here is what the safe withdrawal rates (for retirement income) were really based upon. Don’t bet on this model for your financial future…
Want to know the best U.S. dividend ETFs to live from in retirement? Here is a list thanks to Simply Safe Dividends. What I liked from the article was this balanced message – something I also believe in because owning a few individual stocks isn’t the perfect portfolio:
We believe quality dividend stocks can serve as a foundational component of total return for most retirement portfolios. While few of us have the large nest egg needed for living off dividends exclusively in retirement, a properly constructed basket of dividend stocks can provide safe current income, income growth, and long-term capital appreciation to help make a broader retirement portfolio last a lifetime.
Here are my top U.S. dividend ETFs for your portfolio on this Dedicated page here.
Canadian Financial Summit – Online and FREE!
A reminder about this cool and upcoming Canadian Financial Summit – a 100% FREE summit with 25+ Canadian personal finance and investing experts who will share their saving tips, investing practices, thoughts and advice on housing, how to protect yourself from $hitty advisers and much more!
I’m thrilled to join Canadian financial experts such as Rob Carrick, Preet Banerjee, Ellen Roseman, Andrew Hallam, Evelyn Jacks, and more. You can see the full speaker list here. Here is what you will learn about:
- How to invest better, easier, and more efficiently
- How to protect yourself from corporate chicanery (including bad financial advisers)
- How to avoid crippling fees and terrible advice
- How to understand the housing market and what it all means for you and your family
- How to get your credit cards to pay you back
- How to earn hundreds more every week with innovative side hustles
- How to travel on the cheap to exotic locales
- And more and more…
Retire Happy reminded us personal finance does not have to be complicated. Agreed. But behaviours and attitudes as adults are very tough to change. This is why you probably don’t need any more financial advice – from any blog or article (…except for mine). 🙂
Here are 36 obvious investing truths. These are my favourites from the list and what I continually remind myself (and share with others if they want to talk #moneystuff):
Despite what other bloggers, indexers, stock pickers and books tell you – there is “no such thing as a perfect portfolio, asset allocation or investment strategy.”
““I don’t know” is almost always the correct answer when someone asks you what’s going to happen in the markets.”
Reasonable investment advice doesn’t really change all that much but most of the time people don’t want to hear reasonable investment advice.” I find it hard to follow my own some days. I’m certainly not perfect.
Have a great weekend!
Mark
My name is Mark Seed - the founder, editor and owner of My Own Advisor. As my own DIY financial advisor, I've surpassed my goal and now investing beyond the 7-figure portfolio to start semi-retirement with. Find out how, what I did, and what you can learn to tailor your own financial independence path. Join the newsletter read by thousands each day, always FREE.
oskee weewee!!!!!!!!
Ugh 🙂
re: Hurricane Irma
Not only is it the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever, but it was so powerful it also registered as a 3.5 earthquake. That’s both truly awesome and really scary (you just know a “Hurriquake” movie is coming out next year). Even more bewildering was the fact that many people in the path of the hurricane did not have electricity (on a normal basis) and were completely unaware of the impending destruction.
re: …here is what the safe withdrawal rates (for retirement income) were really based upon.
According to a great many, the 60/40 portfolio is dead. Echoing Cullen Roche, the 60/40 index today is nothing like buying the 60/40 index of 30 years ago.
re: (Disclosure: I also own the ETF VYM)
Erm….not sure how you can say you don’t invest in Philip Morris when it’s in the top 3% of VYM holdings! Embrace the dirty money!!!
re: some insurance tops for natural disasters.
My tip: invest in insurance companies, they never loose.
re: How to protect yourself from corporate chicanery
Love the word selection — chicanery!
p.s. — a different kind of PF article from a semi-sorta finance blog:
There Are Two Ways To Be ‘Rich’
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=232357
(yes, this guy is a millionaire)
Fair post. Would agree with this because I read stats that prove it:
“I see far too many people who need the manicured lawn, the Lexus, BMW or Mercedes (or worse, two or more!) in the driveway, the big house that costs a metric ****-ton to insure, heat and cool, never mind being in hock up to their nuts in order to “have” all of it. More than 75% of Americans are one missed paycheck away from being on the street; they literally live paycheck-to-paycheck with zero savings and zero real equity — in anything.”
I know our “affordability” test for this house was we could live in it, assuming we both work, and we could still save 10-15% of our net income every month. I figure if you can’t save at least 10% of your net income, then you’ve got some options: 1) buy less house, 2) buy less car, 3) travel less and stop spending your income on junk, 4) work hard to earn more income or 5) a combination of raising income measures and killing your spending.
Oh well. Just me.
Correct on the 60/40 split. Folks believing in the SWR are in for a shock. Personally, I don’t care about the SWR. I figure if the income from my portfolio can cover most of life’s basic expenses, then we’re good. My math tells to retire early and live within the means we want and need:
1) no debt, own our home, cars, etc. Not there yet but >70% there.
2) keep a $50K cash buffer. Not there yet. We do keep an emergency fund of $10K.
3) $1 M portfolio. Not there yet but >50% there.
4) rely on small workplace pensions, government benefits after age 60. Not worrying about but >15 years in pension now.
Time will tell. Work, have fun, save and invest a bit and live our life. Keep it simple 🙂
Thanks for the shoutout, Mark. Have a great weekend.
R2R
All the best.
Thanks again Mark for contributing and mentioning our top dividend article! Keep up the great work
No sweat! Cheers.