Over my 33+ years on the planet, I’ve spent more time than I’d care to admit thinking about money. I’ve thought about earning more of it. I’ve thought about investing it. I’ve definitely thought about spending it. And after all those hours, I realize money isn’t really that hard. In fact, all people really need to […]
Author: Nelson Smith
3 Sustainable Investment Options
Saving the planet is pretty important for some people, and I’m guessing it’s at least a vague thought in your head. After all, you are reading a website called Sustainable Personal Finance. But as we’ve argued in the past, there needs to be some sort of incentive for people to do the right thing. Governments […]
Should You Ever Buy a Mutual Fund?
The argument for buying ETFs is a pretty easy one. Because of lower fees and products that track the index instead of trying to beat it, ETFs as a whole do better than mutual funds. Sure, the argument goes, a fund manager could beat the index-at least in theory. But over the long haul, any […]
Should You Join A Credit Union?
Canada’s banking system is dominated by the so-called “Big Five,” the five largest banks in the country. Royal Bank, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce own approximately 85% of Canada’s domestic consumer banking market. This leaves other banks, credit unions, and other specialty finance companies to […]
Stock Arbitrage: Tread Carefully and There Are Profits to be Made
When people think of Warren Buffett, the greatest investor of all time, they often focus on his knack for picking cheap stocks, or the extra free leverage gained by his massive insurance operations, or even Berkshire Hathaway’s new focus of buying whole companies to add to its already impressive empire. What doesn’t get much attention […]
Fixed vs. Variable: Which Mortgage Should You Get in 2016?
With home prices in Toronto and Vancouver seemingly going up thousands of dollars per month, many Canadian buyers are desperately seeking to buy houses, worried the market will zoom by and they’ll be stuck renting forever. Meanwhile, millions of current home owners are faced with a dilemma. With mortgage rates at record lows, they’re tempted […]
