The Empowered Investor

Behavioural Biases and Investment Decisions Have you ever found yourself blindly following the crowd, even when deep down you knew it wasn’t the right decision? Have you ever wondered if the way your brain thinks is tricking you and influencing your investment choices, sometimes leading you astray? In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of behavioral biases and their profound impact...

Improves decision making for all investors. Have you ever wondered whether your financial decisions align with your future goals? Do our emotions play a pivotal role in shaping our financial choices, and influencing our long-term outcomes? Join your hosts Marcelo Taboada, Lawrence Greenberg, and Jackson Matthews as they discuss takeaways from Morgan Housel’s book, Psychology of Money. It’s an incr...

Lifestyle creep—a subtle increase in expenses as income grows—can have a substantial impact on your financial future. It is a subtle yet powerful force that can silently erode your retirement plans. Ignoring this phenomenon can have serious consequences, potentially downgrading your anticipated lifestyle and derailing your wealth-building goals. Recognizing the importance of aligning yourself with...

Today, we delve into the art of crafting a rewarding retirement with Susan Hogan, an expert coach specializing in the non-financial aspects of retirement. Susan staunchly believes retirement has the potential to be the happiest phase of one's life, leading her to develop her coaching program, Inspired Retirement , to help retirees uncover their unique paths to a gratifying and purposeful retiremen...

Mid-year review - inflation down, resilient economy, stocks up: As of now, recession concerns haven't materialized as many had predicted six months to one year ago. In 2023, portfolios are positive so far, with most asset classes having + ytd returns including; bonds, Canadian, US and international stocks. The development and growing influence of artificial intelligence is capturing investors' ima...

Many Canadian retirees homeowners are home equity-rich but investment-light. Whether it’s to fund their 20 to 30 years retirement or simply to access money for a project without a monthly repayment obligation, a reverse mortgage can offer an opportunity to unlock that home equity and provide much-needed cash flow.  Today we’re joined by experienced independent mortgage broker Morgan Englebret...

With so much of our lives online, are you aware of the risks you face? Despite only 5-10% of people reporting fraud, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received fraud and cybercrime reports totaling a staggering $530 million in victim losses in 2021. From phishing scams to ransomware and identity theft, the responsibility ends up on us as individuals to ensure we protect ourselves from cyberattacks as...

Canada's housing affordability crisis has put the purchase of a home out of reach for many young aspiring homeowners. The government created the first home savings account (FHSA) in response. An FHSA is a vehicle people can use to save for purchasing their first home while receiving a tax deduction on contributions. The money grows tax-free, and you can use it to buy a house without needing to ref...

Will I have enough money to retire comfortably? Am I on track? Should I be saving more? These are the types of questions clients bring to us daily. We turn to financial planning and modelling into the future using expected returns to answer them. Expected returns estimate the average return that an investment or portfolio should generate over time. Being able to create realistic projections requir...

Whether you're a first-time home buyer or a seasoned real estate investor, understanding the intricacies of mortgages is a game-changer in your financial journey. Navigating the mortgage journey can be an intimidating experience, and mistakes can have long-lasting consequences.  With many potential pitfalls, confusing jargon, and seemingly endless options, proper guidance throughout the mortg...

With Tax Day on the horizon, tax tips, tricks, and hacks are being shared more than ever. From making charitable donations to incorporating and running everything through a company, word on the street is that the wealthy use particular tax strategies to minimize the amount of tax they owe. But while it might be tempting to try them, making the wrong decision about your taxes is an expensive mistak...

It’s getting to be that time of the year again— Tax Day is approaching and you start hearing conflicting things from friends and family about what is—and what isn’t—okay when filing your taxes. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about various deductions, loopholes, and write-offs that can get you into hot water if you blindly follow someone else’s bad advice. We’ve all heard people saying t...

Every year more complexity is added to the Canadian tax system, making it difficult for taxpayers to keep up to date. Understanding how to properly file your tax return and take advantage of deductions and credits can put more money back in your pocket, which can go a long way in achieving your financial goals. Your tax returns also entitle you to certain social benefits, and appreciating the vari...

Financial fraud is a serious issue that has unfortunately cost many investors their hard-earned savings. Although technology has helped fraudsters find new ways to dupe investors, the same core themes appear again and again. From Ponzi schemes to fake investment opportunities, these scams lure investors in with promises of high returns and low risk. In reality, there’s no increased reward without...

We’re in the middle of client meeting season at Tulett, Matthews & Associates. Over the years, the way we conduct these meetings has evolved as we incorporate client feedback and continuously work to provide the best wealth management experience possible. At the core, effective client meetings are about transparency and empowering investors with the right level of detail to move forward confid...

When you’re intentional in your planning, you’re more likely to get the experiences you want out of life. Curiosity and continuous learning are a big part of our firm’s culture. The team is always sharing ideas, whether through podcasts, research articles, or books. Recently, Marcelo came up with a brilliant idea to take it to the next level, and now we have our own library at Tulett, Matthews &am...

Maintaining perspective and long-term discipline ​With significant declines in specific segments of the financial market,  inflation rates  we haven’t seen in decades, and geopolitical conflicts escalating, 2022 was a turbulent year for the average investor. Investors who maintained perspective and long-term discipline by committing to a fundamentally sound  investment plan  we...

Our goal in today's podcast is to add clarity of the impact of rising rates for bond investors. 2022 has been a challenging year for Canadian investors; inflation is higher, interest rates have been going up, bonds are down, and stocks have been volatile. Typically, bonds have sheltered investors in periods of uncertainty. This hasn’t been the case this year. Bonds play an important role in the in...

Talk about money as a family, openly and often Kids form most of their adult money behaviours by the age of seven. How can you give your kids a head start and set them up to win with money at any age? Learning how to handle money is a lifelong process. Today we’re joined by Will Rainey, a writer and speaker focused on helping parents and grandparents teach their kids and grandkids about money. He...

For many Canadians, the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) is the primary driver of their retirement savings. An RRSP allows you to contribute a percentage of your income each year which, unlike non-registered accounts, can grow in that account while deferring taxes until you withdraw. Later, when you stop working or reach age 71, you convert your RRSP to a RRIF (Registered Retirement Incom...

From media outlets to friends and coworkers, chances are you’ve heard lots of buzz about a recession. The truth is however, that a lot of uncertainty remains, and we can’t predict if or when we will enter a recession. As an Empowered Investor, it’s essential to understand the current economic context and how a recession could impact your investment portfolio. As financial advisors, we are here to...

Choosing the right advisor or advisory firm takes time. In our last episode, we explored the four criteria for evaluating the value of financial advice : competence, coaching, convenience & continuity. We’re taking it further today and exploring how you can assess the process of hiring an advisor. A good evaluation goes beyond an advisor’s financial performance. A thorough evaluation should gi...

“Price is what you pay, but value is what you get.” - Warren Buffett What’s the marker or gauge to value financial advice? How do investors value the benefits they receive when working with an advisor or advisory firm? When working with an investment & planning service provider, so much of the value provided is intangible, making it difficult to quantify. At the same time, it’s crucial to be a...

Managing your finances as a couple is hard. It’s such a common source of conflict that one in four divorced Canadian couples say that money problems played a key role in their split. Money has so many emotional connections that it’s often tricky to discuss. It’s how we acquire and utilize our resources, and it’s how we take care of the people we love. It’s even more complicated when personal money...

“Market prices contain rich, reliable information about expected returns in the future.” It's an interesting time to be an investor. Uncertainty and volatility are par for the course, inflation rates are higher than we’ve seen in decades, and interest rates are increasing. Today we’re thrilled to be joined by fixed income strategist Sooyeon Mirda of Dimensional Fund Advisors, who has a rare abilit...