Mostly Money

Send us a text In his new book, Balance, Andrew Hallam not only explains evidence-based strategies for providing the best odds of success in the stock market, he provides a lot more than that. The book helps you answer other important questions: Buy the book here (Affiliate link) Andrew Hallam is the international best-selling author of Millionaire Teacher, The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School and Millionaire Expat: How To Build Wealth Living Overseas. Profiled on such media as CNBC, and The Wall Street Journal, he's also the first person to have a #1 selling finance book on Amazon USA, Amazon Canada and Amazon UAE. He has written columns for The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, MoneySense, Internaxx and AssetBuilder. Since 2016 he has spoken at businesses and international schools in over 30 different countries.

Send us a text Robin Taub returns to talk about her latest book, The Wisest Investment: Teaching your kids to be responsible, independent and money-smart for life. We chat about the common concerns parents bring up with Robin with respect to money and the financial decision making skills they want to empower their children with. We then dive into what parents can expect to learn from this quick, strategy-filled guide that includes chapters and tactics for children of all ages. To take advantage of Robin's special offer (mentioned at the end of the podcast), you can email her directly at books@robintaub.com. LINKS Buy the book: Amazon affiliate link Robin's website: https://robintaub.com/ Book website: https://www.thewisestinvestment.com/

Send us a text I’m joined by Erica Alini to talk about her new book: Money Like You Mean It - Personal Finance Tactics for the REAL world. Erica is the personal finance reporter at Global News, where she writes about all things personal finance, business, and economics. She’s also the author of Money123, a popular weekly newsletter on money matters. Her writing has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Maclean’s and the Globe and Mail, among others. You can also follow her on twitter here.

Send us a text Dan Bortolotti is the creator of the Canadian Couch Potato blog, and host of the (soon to be resurrected?) Canadian Couch Potato podcast. He is THE authority on index investing in Canada and has just written a new book, Reboot Your Portfolio (Amazon affiliate link). Dan joined me to explain what the book promises readers, and to discuss his journey from before knowing anything about investing himself, to becoming the writer behind the incredibly popular CanadianCouchPotato.com blog, and then eventually becoming a portfolio manager and financial planner. We cover a range of topics in this interview, including: -Dan's thoughts on how cryptocurrencies fit into a portfolio -Why investing doesn't have to be time-consuming or exciting -The rationale behind the couch potato method -How you can reboot your portfolio whether you have $1,000 or $1 million -and more Links: Buy the book: Reboot your portfolio (Amazon affiliate link) CanadianCouchPotato.com blog Canadian Couch Potato podcast Dan's advisor website at PWL Capital Toronto

Send us a text This episode is sponsored by BMO ETFs #ad I speak with Kevin Prins from BMO Global Asset Management about how ETFs can be used for building and improving almost any investor's portfolio. Specific topics covered: To learn more about BMO ETFs full suite of offerings visit https://bit.ly/3mA0Nbs To learn more about BMO Asset Allocation ETFs visit https://bit.ly/3Angdok Specific resources mentioned in the episode: BMO Global Asset Management's responsible investment review: https://www.bmogam.com/uploads/2021/09/e704ba9fcbadb851004de49131e2a42f/ri_annual_review_canada_en.pdf Asset Allocation 101: https://bmogamhub.com/system/files/asset_allocation_index_etfs_whitepaper-_direct_channel.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=107518 ETF Tools/Screeners/Proposal builders: https://www.bmogam.com/ca-en/investors/learning-centre/etf-investing-basics/etf-tools-and-resources/

Send us a text Welcome to the 100th and final episode, at least for a while, of Mostly Money. I wanted to have a special guest for this send off show, and I don’t think I can top who offered to help me out. You know when people say, our next guest needs no introduction? That is actually true in this case. He is a Canadian icon. A broadcasting legend. This guy walks into a room and time stops. And let me tell you, it really is an honour that the one and only Peter Mansbridge is my special guest today. With 50 years at the CBC, culminating in the top job, anchor of The National for many of those years, he’s seen a lot. I wanted to ask him a bit about what life is like inside a major network news department, but I also wanted to tap into the stories behind the stories of some of the big financial events in Canada - past elections, and budgets, the story behind how the GST was introduced, and more. This ties in nicely as he has a new book available for pre-sales, releasing October 5th, 2021 titled "Off the Record", in which Peter tells you the stories behind the biggest stories of our lives. I've already ordered my copy, and I just know I'll be hearing Peter's distinctive voice in my head as I read it, and I can't wait. LINKS: New book - "Off the Record" Peter's website - ThePeterMansbridge.com Twitter account - @petermansbridge Instagram - @thepetermansbridge

Send us a text Cait Flanders is back. Previously my guest on episode 63 in March of 2018, she is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, THE YEAR OF LESS. Described by Vogue magazine as “a fascinating look into a living experiment that we can all learn from,” it has been translated into 10 languages, and sold more than 190,000 copies. Her new book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, is a field guide to opting out of expectations, changing paths, and leading a more intentional life. Cait joins me again to talk about how her life has changed since writing her first best selling book, and explains what her newest book is all about. Instagram: @caitflanders Website: CaitFlanders.com

Send us a text You’ve likely heard terms like ESG investing, sustainable investing, impact investing, socially responsible investing and others. But are they all the same? Today’s guest is the head of ESG at Research Affiliates. And we’re going to tackle some important questions: All that and much more on this episode of Mostly Money with guest Ari Polychronopoulos of Research Affiliates. LINKS Research Affiliates' website Research Affiliates on Twitter: @RA_Insights White papers: 1. Is ESG a factor in returns? 2. What a difference an ESG ratings provider makes

Send us a text What explains the meteoric rise in Canadian home prices off of a backdrop of 3 million jobs initially lost back in early 2020 with many businesses forced to be shut down and with lockdown, after lockdown? Well if there’s one person who can help answer that question, you know it’s Ben Rabidoux. He’s going to dive deep into a number of factors that, taken together, may help you figure out what’s been happening. Here’s just a sample of the topics we cover in this episode: Grab your popcorn, because Ben Rabidoux is going to enlighten and entertain you in this episode of Mostly Money. Ben Rabidoux is the President of North Cove Advisors, a Canadian research firm that works exclusively with institutional investors around the world, by providing coverage of Canadian housing, macroeconomic and household credit trends. He has also just launched a new firm, Edge Realty Analytics, that provides market intelligence to real estate industry professionals. You can learn more at EdgeAnalytics.ca. LINKS Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenRabidoux Edge Realty Analytics: https://edgeanalytics.ca/ North Cove Advisors: https://northcove.net/

Send us a text In this episode, you’re going to hear from a psychiatrist on a number of topics directly and tangentially related to finances and financial decision making. Later in the episode we talk about some financial behaviours under acute mental distress, a number of various pathways that lead to hoarding behaviours, and more. But we also discuss the effects of chronic decision fatigue, burnout, and corona insomnia that almost everyone seems to be experiencing. And I need to point out that today’s guest, Dr. Ajmal Razmy is one of my very best friends. We studied neuroscience together during our undergrad days at UofT and he continued with his masters and medical school, whereas I, after my last undergraduate exam, went to auto-racing school. Dr. Razmy is a psychiatrist and mental health specialist at Cleveland Clinic Canada with a background in healthcare with a special interest in sleep medicine and hospital administration. He is currently a practicing psychiatrist and Head of Service (HoS) for Mental Health at Joseph Brant Hospital with a focus on acute care psychiatry. In the HoS role, he is helping lead Burlington’s mental health response to the novel Coronavirus across the hospital and community systems. Prior to this role, he worked at Trillium Health Partners, where he was the Service Medical Director for Acute Care Psychiatry, and has also served as a psychiatry member of the Consent and Capacity Board of Ontario. Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/AjmalRazmyMD Website: http://ajmalrazmymd.com/ Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/canada/staff/razmy-ajmal

Send us a text If bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain have you feeling confused, THIS podcast episode is for you. There is a strong correlation between bitcoin cheerleading and bitcoin’s price. Whenever the cryptocurrency has seen a rapid increase in price, mainstream media coverage rises and social media goes crazy like it always does. But… how many people really know what they are talking about? Is this another case of return-chasing behaviour combined with “a little knowledge being a dangerous thing”? My guest on today’s podcast is one of the few people who can help answer a lot of questions about cryptocurrencies. Dr. Andreas Park is a professor at the University of Toronto and his research and interests have been focused on financial market structure, financial technology, and studying innovations in cryptocurrency and blockchain. And don’t worry, whether you already know a bit about cryptocurrencies or are starting from scratch, I think we hit a nice balance between explaining the basics and diving a bit deeper into the actual economics to explain how you can judge for yourself if the space is suffering from too much hype or not. Resources and Links for this episode: Twitter: https://twitter.com/financeUTM Website: https://sites.google.com/site/parkandreas/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/andreaspark2812/

Send us a text Some people love car shopping… Others dread it. But like any industry, technological advancements have changed the landscape. When trading in an old vehicle, it used to be hard to really know what a good price might be. But for years now, you could look up comparable cars on the market, controlling for trim level, mileage, condition, and more. Some online services tell you what the dealer’s costs might be for a new car to help you negotiate with more confidence. But many people just don’t like to negotiate, and at the same time they certainly don’t want to feel like they are leaving money on the table. I had a very interesting conversation with Chris Pfaff, the CEO of Pfaff Automotive Partners who operate almost 20 locations in most major cities in Canada, selling a wide variety of cars, from McLaren and Pagani, to Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, and more. His company launched what they called The Future Retail Model of buying cars in late 2019. No haggling. Their best price is offered first. Take it or leave it. And it’s been very successful. Chris explains the reason for the new model, whether his competitors like it or not, how his sales team reacted, and provides some thoughtful insights into the world of buying and selling cars. I need to point out that this interview was originally recorded BEFORE COVID-19, back in January of 2020. I had delayed publishing the podcast as it was originally scheduled for March 2020, but large parts of the country were being locked down at the time. Anything not Coronavirus related was just not on people’s minds. Well, we’re hopefully starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And perhaps more people will be in the market for a vehicle in the near future, so now seems like a better time to release this episode. Links: Pfaff Auto website Facebook Page YouTube Channel Instagram

Send us a text Michael Meyer is the founder of Obolx.com - an app that helps you visualize your personal goals alongside your financial and health milestones for your entire family. Powered by AI, and using a stacked timeline visualization, it promises to help you conceptualize your life and your most valuable asset: time. Website: https://www.obolx.com/

Send us a text Darin Diehl has a long history of working in the financial services as an educator and marketer. But in late 2019, he was laid off from his job. Then, in early 2020, he had a heart attack. While being diagnosed and treated for that, doctors also found out that he had advanced lung cancer. Darin thought it would be helpful to share his story, not only from a health perspective, but from a financial and emotional perspective. From what emergency funds they had in place, benefits coverage and insurance, and how his medication for lung cancer has a price tag of $130,000 per year (and he explains how those costs are subsidized). With a recent positive assessment, he now has another set of unique financial considerations: what is the balance to be found between spending more aggressively now in case his life expectancy is much shorter than his financial plan called for, versus what if he has more runway than the doctors originally predicted? Darin is sharing his story because his passion for financial education hasn't dwindled. There are many lessons and thought provoking subjects we touch on in this episode.

Send us a text Alyssa Davies joins the show to talk about how couples can talk about money. Our wide ranging conversation covers the "breadwinner mentality" and how that can cause problems in the dynamics of a relationship, how and when to start talking seriously about money with a significant other, and much more. Alyssa is one of the most popular personal finance personalities in Canada. She is the creator behind the Mixed Up Money community which has a huge Instagram following on top of a blog, YouTube channel, and TikTok account. She is a content specialist for Zolo and a published author living in Calgary, Alberta. Two-time award-winning Canadian Personal Finance Blog of the Year Mixed Up Money has over 30,000 followers across social media. Her first book, The 100 Day Financial Goal Journal, was published in 2020. Links: 100-Day Financial Goal Journal: https://mixedupmoney.com/book Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixedupmoney/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MixedUpMoney Website: https://mixedupmoney.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mixedupmoney YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqAoFeB_QAklk2yAMyVx0w Column: https://www.zolo.ca/blog/author/alyssa-davies

Send us a text There is a BIG difference between End Of Life Planning and Serious Illness Planning. If you think estate planning is getting your wills and powers of attorney or healthcare directives set up for taking care of things when you die or are about to die, you might be making a big mistake. If you end up in an ER, the doctors aren't going to look at any end of life planning you might have in place if they think they can still save your life. This requires a whole different way of thinking about planning for serious medical illnesses. On the show today I speak with critical care physician, Dr. Daren Heyland, who is going to give us a look behind the scenes at what really happens when people and their loved ones are making decisions about their medical care when they are seriously ill, or terminal. We’ve talked a bit about estate planning on the podcast before, and my guest recently attended a financial planning seminar where the positioning of how and when certain parts of an estate plan come into place could have used some fine tuning. He’s also going to discuss an initiative he’s been spearheading, called the Plan Well Guide, Plan Well Guide is a FREE tool to help people learn about medical treatments and prepare them for decision-making during a serious illness, like COVID-19 pneumonia for example. Find out more here: Company: https://planwellguide.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/darenheyland Facebook: @planwellguide Twitter: @plan_well_guide Instagram: @plan_well_guide LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daren-heyland-2b674a185/ Guest Bio: Dr. Daren Heyland is a critical care doctor at Kingston General Hospital and a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Queen’s University. He currently serves as the Director of the Clinical Evaluation Research Unit (CERU) at the Kingston General Hospital. For over a decade he chaired the Canadian Researchers at the End of Life Network (CARENET), which has a focus on developing and evaluating strategies to improve communication and decision-making at the end of life

Send us a text In this episode I speak with the president of BMO InvestorLine, Silvio Stroescu, to get his response to the long wait times for clients calling in for customer service that all discount brokerages seem to be experiencing. Silvio provides some shocking numbers showing the absolute explosion in new account openings and trading activity. Year-over-Year increases in trading activity have reached +200% in some recent months. The first nine days of 2021, which is really only five trading days, saw more transactions than all of January 2020. Why the surge? And what are they doing to reduce wait times. Silvio candidly answers these questions and more.

Send us a text Erica Ehm was one of the first MuchMusic VJs, shaping and influencing an entire generation of Canadians. Her career has seen a series of reinventions. After defining the role of music television host, she became a successful songwriter winning multiple Canadian Country Music Awards, SOCAN awards, and Juno awards. But the reinvention didn't stop there. She has launched two companies, including the the first influencer agency that was born out of YummyMummyClub.ca, and Ehm & Co (EhmCo.com), a digital agency focused on connecting brands with Canadian mothers. She recently launched the "Reinvention of the VJ" podcast which not only reminisces about that golden era of Canadian music television, but what happened to much of the on-air talent after the disruptive effect of on-demand music streaming services on the industry. With so many people facing personal and professional reinvention (COVID-related or otherwise), Erica brings her experience as a reinvention expert to the podcast and shares what worked for her, and what can work for you. Mentioned in the show: THAT Kurt Cobain interview that helped defined Erica's career: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CTsGievjMU Erica Ehm's blog post about her thoughts on the behind the scenes of that interview: https://www.ericaehm.com/erica-ehm-insights/2019/2/5/kurt-cobain-erica-ehm Reinvention of the Vj Podcast: https://www.ericaehm.com/podcast YummyMummyClub.ca EhmCo.com Erica Ehm on Twitter: @EricaEhm, Instagram: @EricaEhm

Send us a text Erin Bury is the co-founder and CEO at Willful, an online estate planning platform that makes it easy for Canadians to create a will in less than 20 minutes. Topics covered: Estate planning 101: basic definitions and concepts to help educate the audience Can you leave your debt to someone in your will? The stats on who doesn’t have wills/POAs,etc. What are the biggest reasons people don’t get their estate planning documents set up? What don’t people know about estate planning that they should? What happens to your social media accounts when you die? Company: https://www.willful.co/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinbury

Send us a text David Pride was sponsored into a multi-level marketing organization at the tender age of just 15 years old. By the time he was 16, they realized he was a naturally gifted speaker on stage. Over the next three years he would recruit over 150 people into the company. He would spend a total of 13 years dedicating all his spare time to his new family before he realized he needed to get out. It took him an additional three years of therapy to de-program his brain after he left. For the first time ever, he shares his story. How he got in. How much he made (it will shock you). And how he got out.