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Financial Library

Consumer Impact of Low Interest Rates

While the Bank of Canada publicly muses about adopting negative interest rates on Government Bonds as a policy tool to stimulate economic growth, the Bank of Japan recently cut its benchmark interest rate below zero, joining several others including the European Central Bank in the negative interest rate club. According to the February 6th issue of The Economist, almost one quarter of the world’s GDP now comes from countries with negative interest rates.

9 Ways to Destroy Wealth

Taking the time and effort to manage your money better is certain to pay dividends in the future. By following the rules of careful money management, it is possible to cut out wasteful outgoings and increase savings, which can mean being $1,000s better off each year. Any of these extra savings can be put aside or spent on your next vacation, car, or even used towards your pension.

Read on to learn about the nine things (in reverse order) that are highly likely to have a negative impact on your personal wealth:

Traveling in Retirement

One of the top retirement goals for many is travel. As many as 1.5 million so called "snowbirds" travel to the Southern United States during the winter. With summer just around the corner, thoughts turn to travel within our borders, too. The Canada Safety Council states that a few simple precautions can help ensure a safe, healthy and enjoyable trip any time of the year.

Investing Like the Rich Do

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
George Foreman.

With RRSP season upon us, it might be useful to see how the wealthy invest their funds for some indication as to how they differ from average Canadians. As Baron Rothschild famously stated, “The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets…”, and so do the wealthy, even in difficult times. In other words, they are contrarian investors who do the opposite of what everyone else does, which is a lesson that all investors can profit from.

Strategies to Enhance Your RRSPs

Since their introduction in 1957 as an incentive to save for retirement, Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) have evolved into the most popular savings vehicles in Canada. All too often, though, RRSP decisions are made in a panic to meet a deadline, with little or no planning or understanding of the effects of our actions.

Here are a few top strategies to help you get the most from your RRSP and retirement plans:

The Client Interview

There is often a sense of nervousness when you go to your first meeting with a new financial planner or advisor. How should you approach the meeting? What and how much should you tell them? What results do you expect from the meeting and from any future interactions?

Generally speaking, there are two approaches that can be taken when dealing with a new advisor. The first approach is to have the advisor review everything in the hopes that he/she will tell you that everything is going to be alright with some modest adjustments.

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