Posts Tagged ‘retirement planning’
Understanding Your Full Compensation Package: It’s More Than Just Your Salary
Your salary is only the starting point. The real value is everything working around it. When I sit down with clients and we start talking about income, almost everyone leads with one number: their salary. And that makes sense. It is the most visible part of what you earn. But once we look a little…
Read MoreYour FREE Tickets to the 2026 Canadian Financial Summit – Watch My 3 Talks
The online Canadian Financial Summit is coming up October 21–24, 2026. It’s Canada’s top personal finance event of the year! As a reader of the Unconventional Wisdom blog, here are your FREE tickets to the Summit. With your FREE ticket, you can watch talks from some of Canada’s leading personal finance and investing experts, with…
Read MoreNational Post article: Could an RRSP/RRIF meltdown reduce Liam’s GIS clawback without triggering a big tax bill?
Liam thinks he is in a 19% tax bracket. He isn’t. He is effectively in a 50% tax bracket because he pays 0% income tax, but loses 50% of additional taxable income through the GIS clawback. His situation is interesting because: In my latest article for the National Post, I look at why withdrawing more…
Read MoreNational Post article: Can Tom afford to retire by 63 with a $1.16 million portfolio?
Having enough money to retire is one thing. Knowing how to use it wisely is another. Tom and Judy are in a strong financial position. With a $1.16 million investment portfolio and a valuable defined benefit pension, the bigger question isn’t whether Tom can afford to retire at 63 — it’s how they should make…
Read MoreRetiring at an All-Time High: What History Actually Shows
I get this question a lot. Is a retirement plan safe if you retire when the markets are at an all-time high? Can you reasonably still expect good performance in the future? The Conventional Wisdom About Retirement Risk The conventional wisdom here is 3 things: All the questions I get about sequence of returns risk…
Read MoreNational Post article: Everything changed when Kevin’s wife died. He now wants to retire next year, at 54, but can he afford to?
My latest article for the National Post looks at Kevin, 53, who is considering retiring next year after the death of his wife changed how he thinks about work, family and how he wants to spend his time. He has nearly $1 million invested, a $1.5 million debt-free home and an employer pension, but he…
Read MoreSecure Your Future Together: The Power of Trust Planning for Couples
Beyond the Will: How Canadian Couples Can Use Trusts to Protect Each Other A guide to achieve continuity, clarity, tax efficiency, and family harmony. Beyond the Will: How Canadian Couples Can Use Trusts to Protect Each Other Most Canadian couples believe their estate plan is complete once they have wills, powers of attorney, and beneficiary…
Read MoreNational Post article: Is a $740,000 all-equity portfolio enough for Jasmine and Terry to retire early?
One of the questions I hear most often is, “Do I have enough to retire?” The answer is almost never as simple as looking at the size of your portfolio. The real question is whether your investments, savings strategy, tax planning, and retirement income plan all work together to support the lifestyle you want. In…
Read MoreHow to Build a Retirement Plan That Actually Works (and Grows Your Wealth)
Most people go through life and at some point wake up and realize they should be doing something smarter with their money. When you reach that inflection point, what should you do and what are the few fundamental basics that you need to know? Many retirement plans are designed to feel safe, instead of giving…
Read MoreThe Longevity Revolution: Why We’re on the Brink of Living Decades Longer
The longevity movement is transforming how we think about aging—not as an inevitable decline, but as a challenge we can overcome with science, technology, and smart choices. Many experts believe we’re on the cusp of dramatically extending healthy lifespans. I’m on a longevity and healthspan journey. I’m not an expert in longevity, but I’m continuously…
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