The financial advice industry -- including banks, mutual fund and insurance companies -- has a vested interest in our hard-earned savings. Industry advisors are constantly warning us that we may not be financially prepared for retirement. And, feeling anxious about our future, we become convinced that it’s a good idea to let them handle our money. After all, they seem to have all the answers. But retirement planning today isn’t the same as it was in the past. We’re living longer, leading m...

The financial advice industry -- including banks, mutual fund and insurance companies -- has a vested interest in our hard-earned savings. Industry advisors are constantly warning us that we may not be financially prepared for retirement. And, feeling anxious about our future, we become convinced that it’s a good idea to let them handle our money. After all, they seem to have all the answers. But retirement planning today isn’t the same as it was in the past. We’re living longer, leading m...

More than ever, Canadians must rely on their investment decisions to determine their families’ security and ensure their retirement. But how many investors are actually receiving unbiased, easily understandable and practical advice on their investments? Are they selecting the right level of risk? Do they know what a reasonable rate of return is in today’s market? And are they making mistakes now that may compromise their future retirement plans?Warren MacKenzie has over 20 years of...

More than ever, Canadians must rely on their investment decisions to determine their families’ security and ensure their retirement. But how many investors are actually receiving unbiased, easily understandable and practical advice on their investments? Are they selecting the right level of risk? Do they know what a reasonable rate of return is in today’s market? And are they making mistakes now that may compromise their future retirement plans?Warren MacKenzie has over 20 years of...

Straight Talk and solid retirement advice for all CanadiansIn the face of government changes, financial market volatility, and an aging workforce, Canadians are understandably concerned about the impact on their finances and their future retirement. This reassuring book debunks the generally-accepted claims about necessary savings rates, which can cause paranoia among those beginning to contemplate retirement. The authors offer greater insight into planning approac...

Retirement planning is difficult enough without having to contend with misinformation. Unfortunately, much of the advice that is dispensed is either unsubstantiated or betrays a strong vested interest. In The Essential Retirement Guide, Frederick Vettese analyses the most fundamental questions of retirement planning and offers some startling insights. The book finds, for example that:Saving 10 percent a year is not a bad rule of thumb if you could follow it, but ther...

The one book your bank REALLY does not want you to read.More than ever before, Canadians are frightened and stressed out about their retirement and financial future. With the mortgage, car payments and credit card bills, there never seems to be enough to pay the current bills let alone save thousands in RRSPs. At the same time, the large financial institutions are bombarding us with fearful messages of destitution unless we maximize our RRSP contributions.The stock market c...

A contrarian and controversial look at personal finance, and a super simple strategy for making—and keeping—more moneyTraditional financial wisdom persuades us to grow our net worth and build our assets. But traditional financial wisdom is often wrong. In Cash Cows, Pigs and Jackpots: The Simplest Personal Finance Strategy You'll Ever See, author and Chartered Accountant David Trahair challenges everything we think we know about managing our money, suggest...

Retirement planning isn't something that happens at a specific point in time or at a specific age - we are all affecting our retirement plans every day with every decision we do or don't make. Canadians are living longer, and the average retiree in the future may have as much as 30 years of retirement to plan for, and there are many simple things that will impact our eventual retirement life.52 Ways to Wreck Your Retirement identifies 52 things we do that could wreck our r...

Stepping Lightly Around the Pitfalls of Estate Planning...Estate planning is one of those unpleasant but really important tasks. Unfortunately, the process is not only hard to get started, it is then easy to make mistakes. Even the most careful and well-intentioned person can slip up along the way. Avoid the pitfalls! The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes outlines the major mistakes and their consequences in an entertaining way-and then proceeds to tell ...

Tax-Free Savings Accounts are the most powerful investment option for Canadians since the introduction of RRSPs more than a half-century ago. They offer an opportunity for even modest-income earners to amass a small fortune over time— and perhaps even attain millionaire status. But they have to be managed properly.Gordon Pape wrote the first book on TFSAs ever published in Canada, and it became a huge bestseller. Now he’s back with a completely revised and updated edition to help y...

Pensionize Verb. 1. To convert money into income you can't outlive. 2. To create your own personal pension, a monthly income that lasts for the rest of your natural life.With the subpar performance of the markets, record-high personal debt levels, and shockingly low savings rates, it's clear that many Canadians expecting to retire in the next decade simply don't have a sufficient nest egg to ensure a worry-free retirement. Making matters worse, only about one-third of Cana...