Unconventional Wisdom

In my latest podcast episode, I give you insight into what I advise my clients and why I declare the death of bonds as an investment.

It's time for most investors to stop investing in bonds. Including balanced funds.

Here are just some of the topics I cover:

• Recommended investment strategies for high-yield returns.
• Why you can't retire comfortably with a balanced portfolio.
• The attitude of successful investors.
• How the investment industry looks at the stock market.
• Conventional wrong beliefs about bonds.
• A balanced portfolio vs. an equity portfolio.
• Two secrets to making money in the stock market.
• How to evaluate your skill of risk tolerance.

Dividend investors, would you like to make higher returns, pay less tax & simplify your life?

Would you like to receive dividends of any amount you want from your non-registered investments, and pay less tax than on ordinary dividends?

You can easily do this with a little planning and proper understanding of investments.

Self-made dividends are a simple concept with profound benefits.

Dividend investing has been very popular recently, but self-made dividends are better than ordinary dividends in every way.

They have lower taxes, better investment options, and are much more flexible for giving you income when you need it.

When clients retire and we set up the retirement income they want, self-made dividends make the process easy and usually save a lot of tax.

Self-made dividends are a perfect fit for your retirement plan. They fit your life.

Listen to my latest podcast episode to find out:

• What are self-made dividends?
• How do self-made dividends work in a retirement plan?
• The 3 big risks of dividend stocks.
• The meaning of "clawed back" and "grossed-up" when talking about dividends.
• The 4 major advantages of self-made dividends.
• Why you pay less tax with self-made dividends.

While I love living in the Toronto-area - it's a great and vibrant place to spend time, I choose not to invest in Canada.

You may not realize that Canada has only 3% of the world's stocks, with mainly small companies with lower growth than global or US stocks. Canada is no longer a growth country.

This means that you aren't getting a diversified portfolio, so we choose to invest globally or in the US.

For more details on this way of thinking and investment strategy, I've broken it down for you.

Listen to my latest podcast episode to find out:

• What are the most common reasons people invest in Canada?
• What are the top 10 reasons we don't invest in Canada?
• How do investment returns in Canada compare to other countries?
• Is it safer to invest in your own country?
• Should you invest in Canada for bonds or other fixed income?
• How does dividend investing compare to self-made dividend investing?
• How is Canada's economy growing compared to other countries?
• How can you avoid or minimize currency risk?
• How can you easily & effectively invest outside Canada?

Do you ever find yourself unsure about what to do with an investment decision? Should you buy now or wait? Is this a good time? Should I buy something safe or invest for growth?

You are not alone. Most people struggle with investment decisions because they think short term and do not have faith in the market.

This leads them to make the single most common investing error — investing conservatively near the bottom of the market and aggressively near the top.

This podcast episode explains how to have the right mindset for investing and how to avoid the single most common investment error.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

• The attitude you need to build wealth.
• One of the most common mistakes people make when investing.
• How to invest effectively in the stock market.
• What are the best buying opportunity times in the stock market?

"Financial Quackery" is one of the main reasons most people struggle financially.

My latest podcast episode is my attempt at humour to explain what to look for to get real advice, rather than the typical industry foolishness pretending to be advice.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

• What I mean by "financial quackery".
• Why "quackery" happens in the financial planning industry (and how to avoid it).
• How does "quackery" ruin your retirement plan?
• How can you get real financial advice?
• Why a real plan will let you make an informed choice.
• Is the idea of "one advisor" important?

Do you own a small business or rental property?

If yes, then you'll be interested in Cash Dam.

It's a simple, but powerful concept to help you make your mortgage tax deductible.

It's an especially attractive option if you're familiar with the Smith Manoeuvre or other tax minimization strategies.

Cash Dam is a pure tax strategy without investment risk that does not require any of your cash flow.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

• How Cash Dam is different from the Smith Manoeuvre.
• Is Cash Dam legal?
• How to deduct rental expenses with Cash Dam.
• Examples of small business owners using Cash Dam.
• How to implement the Cash Dam Strategy.

Today I'm reflecting on my life and progress towards my mission in life - to educate Canadians about what really works to achieve financial security & freedom.

I have seen thousands of Canadians struggle with money. I see bad or suboptimal advice based on conventional wisdom all over the financial industry and to a lesser degree in the financial blog world.

I sincerely hope I can influence you to have the financial security & freedom you can have with smart choices and a Plan.

Listen to this podcast episode to hear about some of these reflections, recent successes & recognition on Feedspot & Hardbacon, and where you can find my financial planning advice online.

The "8-Year GIS Strategy" is one of the best strategies to turn a modest retirement into a comfortable one for you.

This strategy has huge benefits, but requires careful planning.

When you retire, get up to $15,000/year tax-free from the government with effective planning. Typically increases retirement income by 50-100% for life.

For years, this is one of a few strategies that I have quietly used with select clients.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

• How to maximize this strategy.
• How much money you will receive (tax-free) after 8 years.
• Who the highest taxed Canadians are.
• The advantages of this strategy.

You may have received a letter from your bank or heard people talk about the new OSFI mortgage rules.

We've had a lot of our clients contacting us about it as well, since the new rules start this year for mortgages.

These new rules will affect the Smith Manoeuvre in some ways, so it's important to understand exactly what you should do.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

• What is the Smith Manoeuvre?
• What are the new OSFI mortgage rules?
• How will they affect the Smith Manoeuvre?
• What is the formula in the rules?
• Examples of the effect.
• Effect on your monthly investment.
• Best & worst-case examples.
• How do you manage the process?
• How to minimize or eliminate the effect.
• Effect on Smith Manoeuvre vs. TFSA decision.

This may sound like a dumb topic. Why would a millionaire live in poverty?

We see it all the time, though.

People living in a paid off home worth more than $1 million while living on an income of $20,000/year before tax.

I believe this is caused by the belief that your home is your retirement.

Millionaires in poverty have 5 options – all 5 of which are stupid.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out:

What are the 5 stupid options for Millionaires in poverty?

• The #1 option we recommend for retirees who own their homes.
• How to downsize effectively.
• The BIG mistake in investing.
• The key benefits of self-made dividends.
• How to tolerate risk.