The hits keep coming! With the recently concluded Federal election essentially changing nothing in Ottawa, there is little doubt that annual spending deficits will probably continue to reach new levels. Along with this renewed deficit spending Canadians can expect to see higher consumer prices as various economic disruptions continue to impact Canada and other nations around the globe.
The key financial planning lesson that Covid-19 has taught us all, is that no matter how many planning scenarios a person considers, it is extremely difficult to get it perfectly right!
Covid has impacted Canadians' ability to hold, build and keep cash reserves. For many, it has affected their ability to work and earn a living, and for many small business owners, it has threatened their very survival. No matter how much planning small business owners did before the pandemic hit, very few set aside enough capital reserves for 12 months or more.
The holiday season is a time for connection and giving, but it can also be costly. According to PwC Canada's 2019 Holiday Outlook report1, Canadians spent an average of $1593 on holiday shopping last year. As this year's present buying season begins, here are some helpful tips that could help you avoid overspending and taking on consumer debt that could follow you into the new year.
The fastest market correction in history, that started in the last week of February and bottomed in late March, led to the fastest bounce back over a five-week period, since about 1987 1. However, at the time of this writing, most of the major market indexes are still below their February 2020 peaks levels.
Over the past several weeks, provinces across Canada have relaxed social distancing rules and begun the process of "re-opening" for business. Looking back over the past three months, while there have been many moments of stress and anxiety, there have also been moments to be thankful. What is there to be thankful about?
One of the world’s richest men, Warren Buffett, acquired his wealth by following a very simple rule during times of market volatility: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."
With mass media websites trumpeting headlines like "Oil collapse and global stampede out of stocks trample loonie” (Financial Post) and "Dow drops more than 2,000 points amid oil price war, coronavirus fears” (New York Post) it is easy to forget that the world has been in similar situations before.
If you were going to recommend a treatment plan for a loved one suffering with alcoholism, would you prescribe more alcohol as the best course of action to help them to recover or otherwise improve? Now put this question aside for the moment.
Let us look at the personal situation of the average Canadian these days and make some observations about what their circumstances look like as they go about their daily activities in life, work, & family. Then we will tie these real-life situations together with the riddle.
Let's look at the personal situation of the average Canadian these days and make some observations about what their circumstances look like as they go about their daily activities in life, work, & family.
We live in a world of low inflation, less than 2% or so, according to official Canadian Government reports using the CPI (consumer price index) as a measure of the daily cost of living. But the reality for most consumers may be much different than this picture of low inflation being painted by the government over the past few years.
Clients often call when markets are looking a bit shaky, or newspaper articles are predicting the next market correction, recession, bubble, etc.
The challenge with reacting to such events or news is that the external circumstances rarely have anything to do with your specific situation and plan. Your mission, should you choose to embrace it, is to build assets through savings and investment returns so that you reach your targeted savings value needed to support your lifestyle and cash flow needs in retirement.
What problems does the financial industry solve for Canadian consumers? Where is the value added for interacting with the financial industry and why use an Advisor versus doing it yourself online?
To address these questions, here is a refresher on why the financial industry exists in the first place.
Simply speaking, there are two basic functions for the financial industry:
