Wait. Don’t people say, “Your home is your best investment?

For many people, their home may be their only major investment. For them, that old conventional wisdom might be true. But that is unfortunate.

It is easy to find better investments with dramatically higher long-term returns.

Despite the lower returns, homeowners on average are wealthier for 2 non-investment reasons.

In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:

• How do homes compare to other growth investments for rate of return?

• Why is it unfortunate if your home is your largest investment?

• What are the 2 non-investment reasons homeowners tend to be wealthier?

• Why does your home start being a great investment but then stop?

• Can your home be your retirement plan?

• Is home equity the key to wealth or is it “dead equity”?

• How can you make your home a good investment?

• What are the 2 best strategies to make your home a great investment?

Are you ever confused by all the different titles that financial planners and advisors use?

What types of advice and services do they offer?

Which one offers what you are looking for?

When you have real worries or questions about your money, “who you gonna call?” Who is the super-hero of advice?

In my podcast episode you’ll learn:

• When you want real advice, what are the most valuable types of advice to help you?

• What are the main titles planners & advisors use?

• What services and advice does each typically offer?

• Which type is the best to create a professional Financial Plan and confidence in your future?

• Which type offers on-going Full Service to be your financial guru and help you in all areas of your finances?

• Which types are unbiased, fee transparent, and have a fiduciary duty to you?

• Which types can help you with a wide range of investments and the best ones for you?

• Which ones are “Old Bay Street” and which are “New Bay Street?

• What would you look for to find your financial planner super-hero?

Quick disclaimer: Terms like financial planner and financial advisor are broad and often used interchangeably. What I’m sharing reflects common patterns I’ve seen, not a blanket description of every professional using these titles. There are lots of exceptions!

Most seniors start their CPP and OAS when they retire or at age 65, without evaluating the options. But many would benefit from delaying CPP until age 70.

Here’s how to figure out what’s best for you.

CPP and OAS offer cool opportunities to increase after-tax income, because seniors often have flexibility in choosing taxable vs. non-taxable income, and OAS comes with several “clawbacks” beyond regular tax.

To spot these opportunities, you need to think creatively about pensions, tax, and investments.

After 65, the biggest factors in deciding whether to delay CPP are whether you’ll need to withdraw more from your investments, and whether you’re a growth investor, as this decision looks very different for growth-focused portfolios.

In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:

• Why should you ignore “CPP breakeven” calculations?

• Why are life expectancy stats understated?

• What is the best way to estimate your life expectancy?

• What happens if you are still working?

• How does your tax bracket each year affect your CPP & OAS & GIS?

• How can you qualify for the maximum GIS?

• How does your CPP & OAS fit into your overall retirement income?

• Who should take CPP & OAS early and contribute it to RRSP?

• How do CPP & OAS affect the estate you leave for your kids?

• Who should delay their CPP to age 65? Real life examples.

The most common CPP question I am asked is: “Is it smart to take my CPP early?”

The answer to this question is different for investors than non-investors, especially growth-focused investors like most of our clients.

In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:

• Why should you ignore “CPP breakeven” calculations?

• Why are life expectancy stats understated?

• What is the best way to estimate your life expectancy?

• What happens if you are still working?

• How does your tax bracket each year affect your CPP?

• How does your CPP fit into your overall retirement income?

• Who should take CPP early and contribute it to RRSP?

• How does CPP affect the estate you leave for your kids?

• Who should delay their CPP to age 65? Real life examples.

This is an updated post based on 2025 CPP amounts and expectations, and my latest insights.

What do you call a financial planner that does not plan finances?

I know that sounds funny. But it is an important topic to understand.

Most people assume that when they hire a financial planner, they're getting a personalized roadmap for their financial life. Yet surprisingly, that’s often not the case, and it can have a huge impact on your future.

In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:

• Why don’t most financial planners plan finances?

• What does Ed’s team see with the public?

• What is a financial plan?

• What difference does a Financial Plan make in your life?

You want to retire soon.

What is the best way to set up your retirement income to give you the maximum cash flow that will reliably last the rest of your life?

Many financial planners use the “4% Rule”, which says that you can, for example, withdraw $40,000/year rising by inflation for life from a $1 million portfolio. Is that safe?

I studied 146 years of investment history. The conclusions are surprising:

1. Most of the advice seniors are given is not supported by history.

2. I found what really works to give you the maximum reliable retirement income – both how to set up your portfolio and manage your income.

In my podcast episode you’ll learn:

• What is the typical advice given to seniors and does it work?

• What does Ed’s study of 146 years of history show about the 4% Rule?

• Which asset allocations provide the most reliable retirement income?

• What is the main risk to your retirement for any asset allocation?

• Is it safer to hold some cash to use during market downturns?

• What are the reasons that the actual results of history are surprising?

• How can you manage “sequence of returns risk”?

• What is the impact of inflation?

• How does your risk tolerance affect your retirement income?

• What is Ed’s rule of thumb for a safe withdrawal rate?

• Are there advanced methods to manage a higher retirement income with 100% success?

How can you tell whether financial advice you receive is real financial advice or financial quackery?

Much of what happens in the financial industry is financial quackery, but because the common methods are familiar to most of us, they appear normal.

You can’t really see how inadequate and funny many financial procedures are until you compare them to other fields.

“Quackery” is a fun word that normally refers to medicine. It is a type of health fraud that promotes products and services that have questionable and unproven scientific bases.

In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:

• What is financial quackery?

• Why is it a major problem for Canadians?

• How can it ruin your retirement plan?

• What is “risk” in financial planning?

• How can you make informed decisions about your risk tolerance AND your goal?

If you’ve ever been handed a generic investment recommendation after a fifteen-minute chat and a “risk tolerance questionnaire,” you may have met a financial quack.

Just like in medicine, real advice requires a proper diagnosis—and skipping that step can be costly.

🦆 Discover how to spot the quackery, protect your retirement, and make decisions that actually align with your life goals.

This is a personal post and my first post with a request.

My wife, life partner and business partner, Ann Hetram, passed away unexpectedly from cancer 2 months ago.

She received excellent care at Princess Margaret Hospital, which is the best cancer hospital in Canada.

In her honour, I am co-captain of a team in the Journey to Conquer Cancer walk to support research at Princess Margaret Hospital.

My team is the Harbour Square Team for my condo building. The walk is on Sunday, June 15 at 9 AM. It starts at the University of Toronto, Varsity Stadium, 299 Bloor Street West, Toronto.

Donations support breakthrough research, supporting over 1,600 researchers and scientists working on innovative projects, such as early detection methods, personalized cancer treatments, and immunotherapy advancements.

Ann’s cancer was classified as an “unknown tumor”. She received a personalized cancer treatment including immunotherapy. I’m hopeful that with your support, research will advance to help others facing rare cancers like hers.

Whether you walk with us, join virtually, or donate — every step and every dollar counts.

Thank you,

Ed