The Empowered Investor

Less than 50% of Canadians have a Will in place. Without a valid Will, the government is the decision-maker for the future of your children and your assets. Creating and periodically reviewing your will should be a priority for every Canadian. Whether you have a minor child, hold a simple RRSP or have significant financial holdings, a legal Will ensures that your estate is handled as quickly as po...

The theme for the first half of 2022: Inflation. It’s been an interesting year so far. The country has opened up, and many pandemic restrictions were lifted or eased. At the same time, we feel the lasting effects on the economy and our investments. Nine months ago, most central banks were assuring the public that inflation is transitory, supply will pick up shortly, and equilibrium is on the horiz...

Across Canada, increasing housing prices have made home ownership unaffordable for many. Today we’re talking about the recent announcement by the federal government to help more Canadians get into the housing market: the new Tax-Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA) set to be implemented in 2023. The FHSA is the latest in a long list of investment and savings accounts available to Canadians for s...

Home affordability is on most Canadian’s mind these days and is a topic that brings mixed emotions depending on whether you own a home or not. In the last decade, housing prices have skyrocketed. Many in the younger generation can’t afford to buy a home while empty nesters are stuck in larger homes as they can’t find suitable homes in their communities to downsize into. How do we start to tackle t...

“A portfolio is like a bar of soap. The more you handle it, the smaller it gets.”  - Darcy Howe Markets around the world are turbulent at the moment as inflation and geopolitical conflicts have many investors on edge. It’s human nature to want to take action in the face of instability. So what can you do to secure your future? Should you change your portfolio strategy? Are there new opportuni...

Tax season can be quite a stressful time for many investors. We have dedicated this episode to getting you up to speed on the key areas you should be thinking about as you prepare to file your taxes. To help us dive deep into this topic, we’re joined by our own Hugh Campbell, a longtime Partner at Tulett, Matthews & Associates. Hugh is a Chartered Accountant and he oversees the tax preparation...

Government pension programs give Canadians a source of reliable retirement income, even if they were unable to consistently save on their own. Despite being reluctantly received when they were first created, most Canadians count on government pensions as a valuable part of their retirement. Depending on where you live and your unique circumstances throughout your life, understanding your pension o...

“Past performance is not indicative of future results.” It’s a common phrase that you’ll see on a lot of investment material but its implications are often missed by investors. Chasing performance is what happens when you see a stock or sector performing well or other investors reaping big rewards so you decide to buy in at the high levels. It’s not at all a new phenomenon as there are always stoc...

All of us at Tulett, Matthews & Associates are shocked and saddened by the human and emotional toll the conflict is inflicting on the Ukrainian and European populations. With heightened investor anxiety, we have recorded this episode to shed some light on how the stock markets have reacted to past wars and global conflicts and what it might mean for current long-term investors. In this episode...

“There are two topics that will affect your life whether you're interested in them or not: money and health.” - Morgan Housel While we’re typically here to provide insights on financial topics, we've realized that our listeners would greatly benefit from a fresh perspective on concepts that are equally as important to their overall wellbeing. Our first episode exploring this angle was with author...

The 4% Safe Withdrawal Rule was created as a guideline for how much you can withdraw from your portfolio in each year of retirement without running out of money. In an ideal world, following the 4% rule would allow you to plan your retirement cash flows in a way that ensures your investments can support you throughout retirement. But as with all generalizations, the 4% rule comes with both advanta...

In this episode, Marcelo and Keith review how asset classes performed in 2021. Last year was a unique year in global stock markets. If you look at a chart of stock market performance for 2021, it looks pretty steady. But when you dig a little deeper you’ll see that there was style and leadership turbulence underneath. Coming out of the end of 2020 - a period when you almost couldn’t lose in the ma...

As investment professionals, we focus a lot on saving, investing, and retirement planning. But a successful life is about more than just money, it’s about satisfaction and happiness.  Today we’re widening our scope and bringing a sense of purpose to why we work and why we have money. To explore this topic, we’re joined by bestselling author Andrew Hallam who shares his strategies and the rese...

One of the things a lot of us regret is not getting serious about our finances at a younger age. By developing great financial savings and investment habits early, young adults can significantly increase their odds of long-term financial stability and success. If you have kids between the age of 16 and 30 or are in that age category yourself, and are wondering how to start saving and investing, th...

Inflation can be an investor’s worst enemy. It has the potential to deteriorate the financial structure you’ve worked so hard to build. By understanding what drives inflation, you can take steps to protect your financial affairs; despite economic uncertainty. In this episode, Marcelo and Keith talk about why the current inflation rates are a problem, how we got here, the big debate on how long the...

Custodians provide confidence and a secure network in the world of portfolio management. While a portfolio management (PM) firm is responsible for managing money, portfolios, and other wealth management services, they don’t hold money or client accounts at the firm. That’s where a third-party independent custodian comes in. Today we’re getting the inside scoop from Matthew Pollock on the role of c...

Without proper financial planning, death can result in a heavy tax burden for the family left behind. Whether we want to think about it or not, every family experiences the sad situation of losing someone dear to their heart. Unfortunately, while coping with their grief, families often find themselves having to deal with a large burden brought on by the management of the estate. As an empowered in...

Between transitioning from residency to retiring from professional life, doctors need to give careful consideration to their financial planning. Today we’re discussing the crucial planning stages in a doctor’s career and the tax and financial planning matters to consider. We’re joined by Riccardo Zerbino of Baker Tilly to help us explore this topic in more detail. Together, we’ll break down the ke...

Emotions and investing are not a great cocktail. As we head into the last quarter of 2021, there is plenty of uncertainty in the economic environment being fueled by the unpredictable Delta variant. Volatile markets and uncertain consumer trends may have you feeling like you need to jump in and react. Today we’re helping you navigate the current economic climate by looking at what you need to know...

With the number of easily accessible robo-advisors on the rise, there has never been an easier time for Canadians to start saving and investing. With as little as $100 per month, you can build diversified portfolios at a relatively low cost which is a very empowering option. In this episode, Marcelo, Lawrence and Keith discuss how Robo-Advisors work, the opportunities and advantages created for Ca...

With increasing global connectedness, the world today is smaller than it’s ever been. Countries are coming together to share information in a global trend towards greater transparency and with that, undeclared assets are much more likely to be discovered. So if you’ve found yourself in a situation with undeclared assets, what can you do to get on the right side of things? That’s where voluntary di...

In early 2020, Canadians were worried about how the pandemic would negatively impact their financial affairs.  One year later, Canadians are pleasantly surprised to see how well they've done, both in terms of their investments and their home values.  In the 1st part of this podcast, Marcelo and Keith dive into the 2021 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report and share how Canadians are p...

Every parent strives to teach their children the right values around money to ensure they will become responsible individuals and be able to secure their future. But how do you start having those conversations with your children? How do you keep them grounded when they’ve grown up with wealth? When should you start talking to them about transitioning your wealth? Whether you’re a business owner, p...

The drive to provide conflict-free advice is at the core of our firm and as we continue with part two of the next generation financial advisor. As an investor, it’s important to learn how to identify and avoid conflicts of interest that may arise in the financial services industry. Its critical because conflicted and biased advice will have a negative impact on your planning/investment outcome and...

Understanding your rights and responsibilities in a marriage or common-law relationship is a critical aspect of financial planning. As wealth managers, clients will often ask us what happens to their assets in the case of a divorce or separation. This is an especially important topic to consider when it comes to your home, which is usually a significant proportion of your net worth. In the past we...