UPotential is a fee-for-service financial planner – meaning that our compensation is based on a transparent, pre-established rate agreed upon before our engagements begin. We do not receive any compensation from, and do not offer, the sale of any investment or insurance related products/services. As a UPotential customer you will be under no obligation to utilize any particular investment or insurance product/service to action any of the plans we create. If you wish to engage the services of ETF Capital Management – a registered portfolio manager – you should be aware (and will be made aware at the time) that UPotential is under common ownership. Our goal is to help you get the most out of your money – so we will act always in the best interests of our clients, with full transparency, and in a manner which aligns our interests accordingly.
“Hey Movember, Meet No Spender”
Through their annual “Grow a Moustache” campaign, Movember has raised awareness of men’s health issues. Paying homage to it, I created a campaign I call “No-Spender”—a month-long initiative to promote an awareness of our spending habits in advance of the most difficult time of the year: December holidays.
Click here to read the full article on GoldenGirlFinance.com
When Are Bargain Hunters the Prey?
I don’t shop often but when I do, I go to outlet malls. The one closest to me is a sprawling 1.3-million square foot space filled with 200 retail stores eager to sell me last year’s fashion trends at bargain prices. And I go for it! I don’t really care about the latest fashions and often find great pieces that become wardrobe staples. It’s a win-win situation.
Settling into bed that night, book in hand, the self-satisfaction from the day’s successful bargain hunt was knocked right out of me. The book I was reading, “Dollars and Sense” by Dan Ariely, a prominent figure in the field of behavioural economics, explores how we make spending mistakes—like getting hooked by bargain hunting.
Click here to read the full article on GoldenGirlFinance.com
Membership in the “Two Comma Club”
I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited to participate in the Fall “Investor’s Guide To Thriving” Series alongside BNN Bloomberg’s Larry Berman! I will be appearing in Toronto and in Markham presenting “The Two Comma Club: How A Million Ain’t What It Used To Be”.
As the Head of Financial Life Strategies at ETF Capital Management and UPotential, I help clients translate the wealth that they have accumulated into the lifestyle and legacy that they have always wanted. Like Mr. Berman, I believe that education is empowerment. The better you understand the factors that could differentiate between an ample retirement and a retirement at risk, the more capable and confident you will be when making financial decisions. And those factors may surprise you…
So visit www.investorsguidetothriving.com to enrol in the Investor’s Guide To Thriving series! Registration is FREE and I hope to see you there!
It’s Okay to Want What You Want
I help clients achieve their financial goals. Sounds simple, right? Well it can be, when they identify what they are. I mean, how can you reach a goal if that goal hasn’t been articulated? How will you know when you get there? And, what happens if your spouse’s goals conflict with your own?
Okay, I’ll just admit it: financial planning is my super-power. I can project your financial future on all sorts of metrics: net wealth, future income levels, vulnerability to inflation or investment return fluctuations, and tax liabilities. What I can’t do is choose what’s important to you.
Click here to read the full article on GoldenGirlFinance.com
Save it, Sister!
I never trusted commercials that claimed that a snack “tastes good and is good for you”. That just didn’t match my own experience. I feel the same way about finances: what is good for my pocketbook doesn’t usually match my appetite to spend now.
Savings doesn’t just happen: you have to plan for it. But if you are anything like me, there’s almost always something more pressing. A colleague just offers you concert tickets. There’s a leak in your basement. Your kids’ or grandkids’ birthdays are coming up.
That’s why everyone needs an easy savings strategy.
Click here to read the full article on GoldenGirlFinance.com
Need a Financial Advisor? It’s as Easy as 1,2,3
In the 70s, in my “home ‘ec” class we learned rudimentary cooking skills and how to thread a sewing machine. In other words, lots of “home”, not much “‘ec”. It’s no wonder that so many of us have little-or-no financial literacy.
When it comes to getting financial advice, it’s hard to understand the differences between the various professionals willing to offer it to us. For example, what’s the difference between a “financial planner” and a “financial advisor”?
Click here to read the full article on GoldenGirlFinance.com