Moolala: Money Made Simple with Bruce Sellery

What if managing money wasn't about willpower, but about working with your existing habits? Mike Michalowicz, author of The Money Habit, reveals a revolutionary approach to personal finance using multiple bank accounts as a modern envelope system. Discover how behavioral intercepts work, why debit cards are more powerful than credit card points, and how Parkinson's Law can help you spend less auto...

When a large sum of money arrives after a traumatic event, whether from a life insurance payout, civil settlement, or class action lawsuit, the emotional complexity can be overwhelming. Trauma therapist Shannon Moroney joins us to explore the intersection of money and trauma, addressing the shame, guilt, and fear that often accompany these windfalls. Learn why you should wait at least one year bef...

What if managing money wasn't about willpower, but about working with your existing habits? Mike Michalowicz, author of The Money Habit, reveals a revolutionary approach to personal finance using multiple bank accounts as a modern envelope system. Learn how to achieve cash confidence through behavioral intercepts, why debit cards beat credit card points, and how Parkinson's Law can help you spend...

Claudia Hepburn, CEO of Windmill Microlending, explains how her national charity helps skilled immigrants overcome financial barriers to professional accreditation in Canada. Windmill provides affordable micro-loans of up to $15,000 at just below prime rates, along with financial literacy training, career coaching, and mentorship to help newcomers challenge exams and get re-accredited in their fie...

Writer, editor, and critic David Berry explores the complex relationship between art and money, revealing that less than 15% of artists throughout history have ever made a full-time living from their creative work. He discusses the importance of artists viewing themselves as their own patrons, finding sustainable day jobs that leave time for creativity, and overcoming the cultural stigma that thin...

Financial journalist and author Renée Sylvestre-Williams reveals the hidden financial penalties that single Canadians face, from shouldering housing costs alone to missing out on tax benefits like income splitting in retirement. She explains why building a strong support team—including lawyers, financial advisors, and friends—is critical for solo earners, and emphasizes the importance of estate pl...

Financial educator and behavioral finance expert Preet Banerjee explains how artificial intelligence is transforming the financial services industry, from chatbots handling customer service to the promise of democratizing quality financial advice for everyday Canadians. He warns about the dark side of AI, including sophisticated hyper-personalized phishing scams targeting new employees, and shares...

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how Canadians manage their money, but is it helping or hurting? Financial educator and behavioural finance expert Preet Banerjee reveals how AI is transforming financial services, from chatbots providing 24/7 customer support to the promise of democratizing quality financial advice for everyday Canadians. But there's a dark side: scammers are using AI to create...

ADHD coach and former CFO Leanne Gawley joins Credit Canada facilitator Kelly Cowan to explore how ADHD affects financial management. She explains how ADHD brains are wired for immediate dopamine hits versus delayed gratification, leading to impulse buying driven by instant gratification, lack of impulse control, and FOMO (fear of missing out). Leanne discusses "time blindness"—where the future do...

Simon Brascoupe introduces "Braiding Mind, Body, and Spirit," a culturally relevant financial wellness resource developed with Prosper Canada and the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada. Using the braiding metaphor, the resource addresses Mind (financial tools and knowledge), Body (protection strategies), and Spirit (holistic teachings). Simon discusses how the resource helps addre...

Lisa MacIntyre-Smith, CEO of Furble, explains why veterinary care costs are rising faster than standard inflation due to staffing shortages, medication supply issues, and advanced diagnostic equipment. With 50% of pet parents now skipping vet visits due to costs, Lisa introduces a solution: prescription medications delivered directly to homes at reduced costs compared to veterinary clinics. Many p...

Personal finance columnist Lesley-Anne Scorgie shares the three key indicators that it's time to break up with your financial advisor: poor communication, underperformance against benchmarks over seven years, and an inability to think holistically about your finances. She explains how to request a "total household rollup performance report" to evaluate your advisor's true performance, how fee stru...

Sometimes breaking up is the right thing to do, even with your financial advisor. Lesley-Anne Scorgie, personal finance columnist at the Toronto Star and founder of MeVest, shares the red flags that signal it's time to move on, from poor communication and underperformance to misaligned fees. She explains how to evaluate your advisor using a "total household rollup performance report," compare resu...

To close the show, Bruce speaks with Michelle Pannor Silver, professor at the University of Toronto and author of Aging with Agility: How Elite Athletes and Ordinary Folks Embrace Exercise with Age. They connect physical health, longevity and money, reframing the body as a key resource that affects retirement costs, healthcare spending and quality of life. Michelle shares insights from elite athle...

Bruce welcomes CPA and author Maya Corbic to talk about her book From Piggy Banks to Stocks, a kid-friendly guide to investing and financial literacy. Maya explains why saving alone isn’t enough to build wealth, how to teach kids about inflation and compound interest, and why simple tools like index funds and ETFs can help families invest for the long term. She shares how parents can learn alongsi...

In this segment, Bruce dives into new research from Home Equity Bank with chief financial commentator Pattie Lovett-Reid on financial literacy among women aged 55+. They explore why many older women rate their money confidence lower than men, how old taboos about talking about money still linger, and why “Plan B” thinking is essential for retirement and widowhood. Pattie shares stories from her 92...

Bruce talks with Laurie Fox, campaign director of Willpower, about how Canadians can use their wills to leave a powerful charitable legacy without shortchanging their families. They discuss why only about 10% of Canadians currently include a charity in their will, how even 1% of an average estate can become a five-figure gift, and the significant tax benefits of gifting through your will – includi...

This episode of Moolala: Money Made Simple with host Bruce Sellery spans every age and stage of your financial life. Bruce starts with wills and legacy giving, speaking with Laurie Fox, campaign director of Willpower, about how more Canadians are choosing to leave a charitable gift in their will – and why even 1% of your estate can create a meaningful, tax-efficient legacy while still putting fami...

To wrap up the episode, Bruce interviews Didier Lavallée, CEO of Calgary-based Tetra Digital, about Stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value. Didier breaks down what Stablecoin is, how it’s backed by traditional dollars, and why it can move money globally in seconds at very low cost. He also talks about regulation, how Stablecoin differs from volatile crypto like Bi...

Bruce speaks with Lucianna Adragna, Vice President of Client Segments at RBC, about new research on how Canadian parents feel about talking to their kids about money. Lucianna shares why so many parents lack confidence, how their own financial stress holds them back, and why waiting for “big life moments” to start the conversation is a missed opportunity. She offers practical ways to weave money l...

In this segment, Bruce is joined by Julie Kuzmic, Head of Consumer Advocacy and Compliance at Equifax Canada, to unpack the light bulb moments around credit scores. Julie explains why being a secondary cardholder can leave you with no recent credit history, how buy now–pay later and payday loans might show up on your report, and why your utilization at statement time can drag your score down even...

Bruce Sellery talks with personal finance expert and author Preet Banerjee about the “light bulb moment” that changed his money life as a teenager: automatic savings and the astonishing power of compound interest. Preet walks through simple examples that show why starting early matters more than saving perfectly, how small increases in your contributions can more than double your nest egg, and why...

In this episode we dive into the powerful “light-bulb moments” that can transform the way you manage your money. Bruce Sellery speaks with personal finance expert Preet Banerjee, who shares the compounding insight that changed his financial life at age 16—plus the surprising math behind why starting early matters far more than saving perfectly. Then, Bruce talks with Julie Kuzmic of Equifax Canada...

In this episode of Moolala: Money Made Simple, Bruce dedicates a full hour to personal finance legend David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber. Nearly four decades and millions of copies later, Chilton has fully updated his Canadian classic for a new generation facing soaring housing costs, ubiquitous credit and constant social-media-fueled temptation. He shares the story behind the original bo...

Investment coach Aman Raina shares his personal story supporting a parent with dementia and outlines signs it may be time to help: compulsive calls, unpaid bills, or social withdrawal. He offers a compassionate playbook: start with check-ins, get power of attorney in place, organize key documents and accounts, and understand bank rules so you’re acting on-side. For adult children juggling careers...