Free Lunch

The "RRIF meltdown" strategy is everywhere online right now, but the advice rarely accounts for your actual situation. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair break down what a meltdown strategy actually is, when it might make sense, and why doing it just because someone told you to can quietly cost you more in tax than you ever saved. The math matters more than the marketing.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair walk through a real conversation many investors are having right now: “Should we get out before it gets worse?” The instinct is understandable. But the plan often becomes selling when markets are down, waiting, and then buying back in when things feel better. That’s not strategy, it's emotion, and it’s one of the fastest ways to derail lon...

In reality, fear shows up in every market cycle. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg talk about why even seasoned investors feel unsettled during downturns, and why that doesn’t mean you should act on it. Because volatility isn’t new. It’s expected. And the investors who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid fear, they’re the ones who don’t let it drive their decisions.

With St. Patrick’s Day behind us, it’s a good time to separate myth from reality. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg explore why chasing the next big winner, timing the market, or relying on “being early” rarely works and why those ideas persist anyway. They break down the difference between luck and skill, the cost of missing just a handful of market days, and why the real...

Each year, the World Happiness Report ranks nations based on factors like social support, health, freedom, trust, and economic security. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast , Colin and Greg dig into the patterns behind the rankings, why Nordic countries dominate the list, where Canada and the U.S. fall, and what the research reveals about the connection between policy, prosperity, and well-b...

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, we explore how even high-earning households can feel “house poor” and why lifestyle inflation, low savings rates, and heavy debt can quietly erode financial flexibility.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair walk through a case study of “Linda,” a 55-year-old investor with a $780,000 balanced portfolio. When markets fell 18%, she panicked and sold half her equities, only to miss the 22% rebound that followed. It’s a powerful reminder that the hardest part of investing isn’t picking the right fund. It’s sticking to the financial plan when headl...

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair continue their financial planning series by examining the Canadian macro environment, from housing and household debt to interest rates and inflation. Using a real-life style case study, they explore how someone can have strong net worth on paper while still feeling monthly cash flow pressure. It’s a reminder that financial planning isn’t...

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin is joined by Blair, Director of Financial Planning at Canvas Wealth, to kick off a new series focused on the role planning plays in long-term financial success. They explore how financial planning turns money into a life tool, replaces guesswork with clarity, and helps people navigate major life transitions with confidence, not just better returns....

From wars and sanctions to trade disruptions and surprise political events, global markets react quickly to uncertainty. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast , Greg and Colin walk through decades of data on geopolitical shocks, what typically drives market drawdowns, how long recoveries tend to take, and why most sell-offs fade faster than headlines suggest. They also explore what these event...

Every January, investment firms release their top picks and bold projections for the year ahead. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast , Greg and Colin look back at the stock lists published in early 2025 and ask the question most people forget to ask: how did they actually perform? By comparing forecasts to real-world outcomes, they unpack why confidence doesn’t equal accuracy, why benchmarks...

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Jacob reflect on how the reality of wealth advising differs from what’s taught early on. Technical knowledge matters, but it isn’t what ultimately sets wealth advisors apart. Listening, understanding, and guiding people through uncertainty are what define the work. Throughout the episode, they explore the lessons that only experience teaches, and...

If there’s one lesson that kept showing up over nearly 300 episodes, it’s this: being reasonable beats being brilliant. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast , Colin reflects on five themes that have shaped the show over the years, starting with why behaviour matters more than intelligence, forecasts, or clever strategies. It’s a reminder that long-term success rarely comes from bold moves. It...

When markets move, our instincts kick in fast. ⏱️ In this episode, Colin and Greg share a real example of a new investor reacting to a small short-term loss, and use it to explain why checking your portfolio too often can do more harm than good. They break down volatility, time horizons, and why investing isn’t meant to feel like watching a savings account.

We’ve become far more comfortable with debt than we used to be. In this episode of  The Free Lunch Podcast ,  Rob Carrick,  one of Canada’s most trusted personal finance journalists and longtime columnist at  The Globe and Mail  joins Greg and Colin to talk about how consumer culture has reshaped our relationship with money. They discuss frictionless spending, social media...

We procrastinate on taxes for the same reason we avoid the dentist. We know it’s important, it just feels uncomfortable. In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair talk about tax optimization, early planning, and why contributing sooner to your TFSA or RRSP can be one of the most underrated financial habits. It’s step four in their “12 Steps to Greatness in 2026” list, and they cov...

Is there really a free lunch when it comes to investing? According to Greg and Colin, there is one: diversification. It’s not exciting. It doesn’t make headlines. But it’s one of the few strategies that has improved outcomes while helping reduce risk over time. In this episode, they explain why diversification works, why investors resist it, and why it matters right now.

Where would modern thinking about markets be without the people who pushed it forward? This week on the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg reflect on the thinkers and researchers who reshaped the way we understand economic behaviour. From evidence-based approaches to frameworks that bring discipline and clarity to decision-making, the way we view the world today exists because a few pioneers were...

We buy everything else on sale, but with stocks we do the opposite? In this episode, Colin and Greg talk with Mark Eibel about the strange way human behaviour shows up around money. The market rises more than 70% of the time, yet fear in the 30% often pushes people out at exactly the wrong moment. It is one of the few areas of life where people get more interested as prices rise and more nervous a...

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Most clients don’t actually want a stock tip. They want reassurance, they want clarity. They want to know, “will I be okay?” This week, Colin and Greg explore the emotional side of money with financial therapist Ashley Quamme as they unpack the real drivers behind our financial behaviour. The beliefs we inherit, the patterns we repeat, and the questions we are truly asking when we think we are ask...

🏡 Have a kid who’ll buy their first home one day? The First Home Savings Account (FHSA), part RRSP, part TFSA, all opportunity. In this week's episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg explain how the FHSA works, the benefits and the deadline you can't afford to miss. They explain why making a small contribution before year-end could mean more room and more opportunity down the...

In 2008, one client went all in on silver. Convinced inflation would soar, governments would lose control, and precious metals were the only safe bet, he put everything into silver. And technically, he was right. It hit $50 an ounce… 17 years later. On this week’s  Free Lunch Podcast , Colin and Greg revisit that story to explore what it teaches about timing, behaviour, and the bigger truth:&...

If the  Canada Pension Plan  were a mutual fund, would you still buy it? 🤔 Greg and Colin dig into the real costs behind Canada’s national pension, how it stacks up against low-fee investing, and what it teaches us about simplicity, transparency, and discipline in your own portfolio. It sounds cheap at  0.26% , but that’s just the  tip of a $7 billion iceberg  once you fa...

What are  smart investors  doing right now? According to Greg and Colin on this week of the Free Lunch Podcast they are: staying diversified, staying disciplined, and staying calm. They unpack how to think about: 💰 Bonds & cash in your portfolio. 🏠 Mortgage renewals & rate holds. 🧾 End-of-year tax moves. 😴 Retirement “sleep-at-night” planning.