The MapleMoney Show

Have you heard of the Couch Potato Portfolio? It's a simple investing model that I've really liked over the years, but there's one thing that bothered me, that the Canadian market was given the same weighting in the allocation as the US and international markets.

Noah Solomon from Outcome Wealth Management joins us on the show to discuss how Canadians are overinvested in Canada, whether they're following the Couch Potato Portfolio or simply choosing stocks and mutual funds. Plus, we discuss how to become more diversified, leading to stabilized returns and less risk.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/noahsolomon

Our sponsor, Borrowell, provides personalized product recommendations from credit cards, to mortgages and loans from trusted partners, tailored just for you. Head over to Borrowell to get your free credit score, and more at https://maplemoney.com/borrowell

Have you heard of the Latte Factor? It's a term coined by David Bach, author of The Automatic Millionaire, a book you should definitely read.

Our guest today is Bethany Bayless, the co-host of The Money Millhouse podcast, and she joins us to discuss what the Latte Factor is and how cutting small expenses can add up to some real gains over time.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/bethanybayless

Once you've overcome your latte factor, put your money to work in a low maintenance, low fee portfolio, and watch it grow with our sponsor Wealthsimple. MapleMoney listeners get their first $10,000 managed free of charge for one year. For more on Wealthsimple, head over to https://maplemoney.com/wealthsimple

Thinking of starting a business with your spouse? Or maybe you already have a business and are considering bringing your significant other on so they can leave their job and enjoy the entrepreneurial lifestyle with you?

Mike Monfredi from MikedUp Blog is here today to walk us through what it's been like to work with his wife at their dental practice. We cover the pros and cons and how you can find opportunities to work together with your spouse that actually creates a stronger relationship from it.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/mikemonfredi

Today's show is brought to you by our sponsors at Borrowell, Canada's leading credit education company. My wife and I both signed up to get our free credit scores and credit reports and receive an update each month via email. Get your free credit score at https://maplemoney.com/borrowell

Are you planning a family vacation for this summer? Sometimes these vacations can really wear down the parents, especially if your children are young or you're paying for the trip with credit. You'll come back feeling much more relaxed and refreshed if you can enjoy the experience and are not racking up debt from the trip.

Holly Johnson from Club Thrifty joins us to discuss how she makes the most of family travel, starting before the trip by reducing expenses and budgeting in advance. Then, we get into how to save the most money and get the most value for your vacation dollar.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/hollyjohnson

Our sponsor Wealthsimple has a better way to save. Smart Savings has no-fees on deposits and withdrawals, and they offer higher interest rates than the big banks. You can find out more about Smart Savings at https://maplemoney.com/wealthsimple

We've talked about FIRE, or Financial Independence Retire Early, on this show before, but how do you line up your finances to be able to make that major change to your lifestyle?

Jonathan Mendonsa from Choose FI stopped by the show to explain how we can create space to execute a fully funded lifestyle change. We cover a lot today, like eliminating debt, increasing your savings, and creating additional income so you're not dependant on your job. Plus, just how much are your years of education and career loyalty really worth?

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/jonathanmendonsa

I love our sponsor Borrowell's mission to help Canadians make great decisions about credit! They've taken a product that used to be $23 a month and made it absolutely free. To get your free credit score, free credit report, and continual monitoring, head over to https://maplemoney.com/borrowell

Health and wealth. Those two things seem to go hand in hand, whether it's new year's resolutions or just those of us that want to stop bad habits and get on the right track. While we obviously talk a lot about money here, what if you wanted to be healthier without it knocking you off your road to financial freedom?

Brad Barrett from Choose FI joins us this week to discuss how he was able to adopt a healthy lifestyle while still staying frugal. You can cut out the junk, eat better, exercise, and simply get fit without it hitting your wallet.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/bradbarrett

Are you a socially responsible investor? If so, our sponsor Wealthsimple can help you build a portfolio that focuses on low carbon, clean tech, human rights, and the environment. Get started with Socially Responsible Investing by visiting https://maplemoney.com/wealthsimple

You're listening to the MapleMoney Show, and I hope you also love the MapleMoney blog, but the beauty of personal finance blogs is that there's something out there for everyone. While MapleMoney's mission is to help all Canadians with various money issues, there are many great sites dedicated only to investing or women's finances, or maybe even write with humour that attracts someone that might not have been interested otherwise.

Harlan Landes is possibly the first personal finance blogger and a money community supporter through The Plutus Awards and Plutus Foundation. He joins us to inspire you to find blogs and bloggers that resonate with where you're at in your personal finance journey. We also discuss how to read online content with a critical eye, including if they know what they're talking about and what bias or profit motivation does the writer have.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/harlanlandes

This episode is made possible by our sponsors at Borrowell. Have you heard the saying, "what gets measured, gets managed"? Borrowell conducted a study that found a correlation between the frequency of checking your credit score, and credit score increases. To begin increasing your credit score, head over to https://maplemoney.com/borrowell

Winter is coming to an end, so I apologize now for bringing up snowballs and avalanches, but there's also no better time than now to get out of debt.

Jackie Beck is the creator of the app store hit, Pay Off Debt by Jackie Beck, which has helped over 53,000 people break free from debt. Today on the show, Jackie shares her debt story and explains the difference between and the debt snowball and the debt avalanche, and which one might be best for you to finally conquer your debt.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/jackiebeck

Today's sponsor is Wealthsimple. With no-fees on deposits and withdrawals and higher interest rates than the big banks, Smart Savings is a better way to save. You can find out more about Wealthsimple at https://maplemoney.com/wealthsimple

Are you looking to pay down debt, increase your income, or save for retirement? Or maybe even simply save for a nice warm vacation next winter? Then breaking things down to small, specific goals is the way to achieve that.

Eric Rosenberg from Personal Profitability is on the show today to discuss how he sets goals and makes sure to follow through on them. I'm a big fan of goals, in fact, I can easily get distracted with my time, so I find it hard to get anything accomplished without goals and deadlines.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/ericrosenberg

Here's the thing, a good credit score will help you get better rates on your mortgage, insurance, and loans, saving you a lot of money in the long run. Our sponsor, Borrowell, will supply you with your free credit score, report and a whole lot more. Visit Borrowell today at https://maplemoney.com/borrowell

Living frugally is a great way to get your spending under control and set a base to improve your personal finances. However, what's the point of cutting every expense and possibly retiring early if you aren't able to put your money to good use on the things you enjoy in life?

Tanja Hester is the writer behind the blog Our Next Life and the new book Work Optional, and she's joining us to share her views on how we can be selectively hardcore in our money saving ways but be able to spend on quality items or experiences that align with our priorities.

You can find the show notes for this episode at https://maplemoney.com/tanjahester

You may soon find yourself with a big tax refund burning a hole in your pocket. How should you spend it? The smartest thing you can do is invest it. In fact, put it right into your RRSP and get a jump start on your contributions. As a MapleMoney reader, get $10,000 managed for free when you open a new account or transfer your existing RRSP to our sponsor, Wealthsimple. Go to https://maplemoney.com/wealthsimple