People often get self-conscious about their finances because they think other people have more money than them. They see the fancy dinners, vacation photos, big house, new truck. But of course, what you don’t see is the bank account balance. You don’t see the truck or...

People who live within their means are often viewed as boring or dull, joyless and miserable. Like they aren’t living life to its fullest. But I disagree. And would argue just the opposite—that people who live beyond their means are actually more miserable in the long...

One of the worst things about personal finance content is how often it leaves people feeling ashamed. Like they’re not doing the right things. Like they’re missing out on all these great investment opportunities. Like they need to make better choices or be doomed to...

The great thing about index investing is that you don’t have to pick the winners. Much of the recent gain in the US stock market has been driven by just a handful of companies: Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon. But if you own an ETF with the S&P 500 index,...

The most important rate in personal finance isn’t the one that’s talked about most often. You hear far more about interest rates, inflation rates, mortgage rates, treasury rates, insurance rates, growth rates and rates of return. And to some extent, all those rates...

Most people don’t know what they want. They just don’t. Because it’s hard to know! Sometimes we get what we want, and we’re miserable. Other times, we get something different, and are pleasantly surprised. What we want changes as we age and learn, meet new people and...

Sometimes when I sit down with a couple and start chatting with them about their finances, I’ll ask a question that both of them have thought about but never actually talked about. It’s a super common and easy thing to do in a relationship. You think and think and...

With the recent wave of inflation and higher interest rates and high home prices and high grocery bills and high prices at the pump and high tuition costs—well, lots of people feel tempted to give up. Why bother? Who cares? You’re never going to have enough to buy a...

If you want to minimize your cost of insurance over your lifetime, it’s super important to think about how long you’re going to need the coverage for. A common mistake is to get life insurance for ten years (because it’s often the cheapest option in the short run),...

As a general rule, if you’re looking for a mortgage or insurance policy or higher interest savings account, you’re far better off going to a broker than a bank. When I say broker, I mean someone who can actually shop around and get you the best rate or best policy,...

Another day, another big bank horror story. Single man. No kids. Retired with a pension. Wants to spend every last dime before he goes. Him: “I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard.” Bank employee: “Oh, but I want you to be!” He was treated like a number....

A few easy financial wins if you’re feeling stuck and aren’t sure where to start: 1. Get a bank account that pays a reasonable interest rate (At least 2-3% rather than 0.02%) 2. Set up an automatic monthly deposit into your TFSA (limit is $7k this year, you can see...