The American Social Security system has been under a lot of scrutiny lately, many questioning its sustainability. With the potential downfall of American social security, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the current status of the Canadian government benefit system. The main government benefit in Canada is the Canadian Pension... Continue Reading →
Inflation is a key factor when evaluating an economy. If inflation is at abnormally high levels, there are many negative side effects. These side effects may include the BoC (Bank of Canada) raising interest rates, which as we know, decreases the purchasing power. Inflation can be defined as a 'sustained increase in the general level... Continue Reading →
"Canadian Average Debt Load now up to $22,081, 3.6% rise since last year" "Canadian Household Debt reaches $1.8 Trillion..." "Canadian Consumer Debt Just Keeps Growing" These are just a few of the alarming headings that we see showing up in the mainstream press on a more frequent basis. But how much validity is there behind these statements,... Continue Reading →
Money is an important topic in relationships, no matter if your Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon and richest person in the world), or someone barely able to scrape enough dollars together for their next meal. Personal finances and money spending habits are one of the most widely misunderstood points in our relationships. We all know... Continue Reading →
Last week we talked about Generation X and the tendency for them to be the overlooked generation. We also established that the average Gen Xer was rather ill-prepared for retirement relative to their stage of life. If you missed that blog post you can read it here. For those of you that felt uncomfortable thinking... Continue Reading →
With much media attention given to millennials and baby boomers, each for their respective reasons (millennials supposedly being entitled and lazy, and boomers because they supposedly ruined the economy), there is one generation that seems to be forgotten. That generation is, of course, the one sandwiched between boomers and millennials; Generation X. Gen X-ers, as they... Continue Reading →
Recently released first quarter numbers for economic growth in Canada might seem a bit underwhelming. Stephan Poloz, the Governor of Bank of Canada, outlined 2 reasons for this; a slowing of the housing market and weak exports. However, even with the unsatisfactory results from Q1, the outlook for Q2 is still fairly optimistic. Rather than... Continue Reading →
If we look back at recent history, we can all remember the global economic crisis of 2008. Of course, many of us know that this crisis was triggered by a bubble in residential housing propped up by the availability of sub-prime mortgages. The collapse of the housing market had such a widespread effect that there... Continue Reading →
Grainews is an agricultural based publication written for farmers, and often by farmers, in a style they understand. Don and Erik work closely with author Andrew Allentuck, providing the background financial plans and theoretical analysis for Andrew's Farm Financial Planner column. A couple we'll call Herb, who is 67, and his wife, Mary, 60, farm... Continue Reading →
