Should You Take Your CPP Early or Wait?
Whether you start early or wait, the age that you begin withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will impact how much income you have at your disposal during retirement. Take CPP early and receive less each month but for a longer period of time. Wait until 65 or 70 and count on more income […]
How to Plan For Retirement at Every Stage of Life
Retirement planning isn’t a linear process. Your plan should be dynamic, evolving with you as you reach each life stage and as your financial circumstances change. Here’s a helpful guide to retirement planning by age. Use it to identify what you can focus on at different periods of your life.
What Can I Expect from CPP?
When planning for retirement, you’ll want to factor in how much you should receive from Canada’s public pensions. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) pays out a monthly, taxable benefit to all eligible Canadians and acts as a source of income during retirement. However, it’s important to view CPP as only one part of your overall […]
When Should You Start Planning for Retirement?
When it comes to personal financial goals, saving enough money to live comfortably during retirement is one of the most critical, yet many Canadians don’t believe they’re saving enough. According to a 2020 Scotiabank Retirement Survey, 68 percent are saving for retirement, but 70 percent are worried that they’re not on track. The earlier you start […]
COVID-19, the Stock Market, and Retirement Planning — Should I Sell if I’m Retiring Soon?
During the early months of the pandemic, the North American stock markets dropped more than 30 percent from their record highs in 2019. While stocks have rebounded since then, there is still plenty of uncertainty. But what does this mean for those nearing retirement?
What Is Holistic Financial Planning?
Holistic financial planning takes every piece of your unique financial puzzle into account. It looks beyond the numbers and financial modelling. Personal goals—how the decisions you make today impact long-term objectives—, investment preferences, lifestyle priorities; any variables that may change along the way. A holistic plan considers all of these, and more, to identify actions […]
Investing in 2021: How to invest with confidence in uncertain times
2021 will pose unique challenges for investors, especially for those relying on a fixed income for retirement. Interest rates around the world are low, and this low-rate environment isn’t going away anytime soon. Currently, we’re in the early recovery phase of the global business cycle. Unemployment rates are still high, and demand for goods is […]
6 Tips to Help You Stay Financially Secure In Retirement
“What if I don’t have enough?” If you are concerned that you won’t have enough for your future, then it may be time to make some tough choices and get creative. The good news is, there are a range of options to explore in order to ensure that you live comfortably in your golden years.
An 8-Step Guide To Your Financial Future [Checklist]
Do I have enough to retire? What will my financial future look like? These are some of the most commonly asked questions in financial planning, and with all the uncertainty going on in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more prevalent in the past few months.
5 ways fast thinking is hurting your investments
Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman published his best-selling book Thinking Fast and Slow in 2011. The lessons he shares about how people make decisions have influenced many professions and sectors, including the financial world. Here’s how fast and slow thinking applies to investing, and five biases you need to look out for if you want to make […]
What’s a Good MER Fee? Plus 3 Strategies to Lower Investment Costs in Canada
Summary at a glance
Retirement expense cheatsheet for investors
It can be a daunting task to get a full picture of your retirement expenses. Use this cheatsheet as a way to prepare to complete a more comprehensive retirement expense calculator or retirement expense worksheet. That way, when you sit down to do the math, you aren’t having to get up every 30 seconds to […]
How to avoid these 4 common retirement mistakes
Failure fanatics like to say mistakes are essential to growth. Tell that to the recently retired couple who discovers their mistakes may cost them tens of thousands of dollars. When it comes to investing, it’s better to be aware of the mistakes that others have made and avoid repeating them yourself—which is why we’ve written […]
5 Retirement Tax Tips
It’s common to focus on the money that’s coming in the door more than the money that’s going out, but it’s a good idea to pay attention to both, especially in retirement. Tax planning is one often-overlooked strategy to reduce retirement expenses and, unlike other expense reduction strategies, it doesn’t require you to make any […]
5 more biases that are hurting your investments
In part one of this article series we introduced you to Daniel Kahneman’s fast and slow thinking. Fast thinking (“system 1 thinking”) uses mental short cuts to help us react quickly, making it well suited for knee-jerk life-and-death decision-making. Slow thinking (“system 2 thinking”), uses carefully gathered evidence and a disciplined evaluation process to make decisions, making […]
Why ESG doesn’t mean fossil fuel free
Three-quarters of Canadians say socially responsible investing is the way of the future and almost half say environmental issues matter most to them when it comes to investing, according to a 2020 Ipsos survey. That’s consistent with our experience, where increasing numbers of our clients are asking for a socially responsible portfolio that reflects their concerns […]
COVID-19 investment update: Fear not, this too shall pass
As many of you will be aware from the heightened media attention, uncertainty regarding the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, and its potential impact on the global economy has led to a material sell-off in global stock markets over the past few weeks. While we do not want to undermine the human tragedy of […]
Should foundations invest in ETFs?
Adaptive ETF strategist Jeff Black spent eight years chairing the Oakville Community Foundation’s investment committee, helping the committee with asset mix, strategy, and manager search and selection. In this article, Jeff shares some of his insights on ETFs. Should foundations use them? And if so, how? Read on for the answers.
COVID-19: Market insights and actions
A message to valued clients and readers, on behalf of President and CEO, Bob Sewell, and the rest of the Bellwether Investment Management team.
Gold prices vs the dollar
This year we have witnessed a breakout in the price of gold, with the spot price finally cracking through an elusive ceiling of $1300/oz. At the end of June, the spot price hit $1409/oz, representing a 10% gain. It is important to note that this move is in US dollar terms. In the face of […]
What’s the difference between ESG and SRI?
Investment-speak makes most people outside the industry feel like they’re drowning in alphabet soup, and responsible investing is no exception. In this article, we take a look at two responsible investing terms known mostly by their initials—ESG and SRI. The two are often used interchangeably but actually mean different things. By the end of […]
Bellwether vs. traditional investment approaches
The best response to an ever-changing world is to do things differently. Here’s how our approach to investment management is different from traditional investment approaches—and how it benefits you.
How your biases are getting in the way of achieving your retirement goals
It’s human nature to opt for a sure thing when the stakes are high. In retirement, we need to know our savings will last, and the double whammy of insecurity around income and uncertainty about how long we’ll be alive leads us to make investment decisions based on a fear of losses. This article explains […]