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.
The Art and Science of Spending Money
Building wealth must be about more than just seeing a larger number on your investment statement each year. Wealth translates into life satisfaction when it has a purpose.
11 tax changes and new rules that will affect your finances in 2023
Saving taxes is very often the best return on investment you can get. Investment returns are unpredictable but sound tax planning can be a methodical way to improve your overall financial situation.
Emotions Aren’t the Enemy of Good Decision-Making
It is natural to be emotional when making a decision. Recently, I booked a vacation at a cost that I never believed I would ever pay. Pent-up demand, inflation and high season conspired to empty my wallet and fill my stomach with knots.
How to Avoid Arguing Over Money
Most Canadians experience an increase in expenses during the winter holiday season. People enjoy giving gifts, entertaining, donating and generally feeling the spirit of the season.
Discover your “Why” – The Intangible Benefits of Investing
So much of the investment industry is focused on the “how” – how to get enhanced returns, how to build a portfolio, how to save tax, or how to capture the “next big thing”.
December is the time to check your RESP withdrawal strategy to help cut any taxes
Revisiting your tax strategy towards the end of the year is a terrific way to use the benefit of hindsight and market movements to optimize your strategy.
Facing A Tough Career Decision? Here’s How To Make The Right Choice
I selected this week’s article based on two amazing conversations I had this week. The common thread between these two conversations, and the article that follows, is that a financial plan helps you pause, reassess your current state of affairs and might even enable you to imagine a better path forward.
Is the 60-40 strategy dead and buried?
The 60-40 portfolio strategy is a touchstone for the industry, and shorthand for the tried and trusted method of protecting capital from wild market swings. There are endless variations on this theme, largely dependant on client risk tolerance and time horizon, but the navigational starting point of a “balanced” 60% stocks and 40% bonds mix has endured.
David Rosenberg: Canada’s housing bubble has burst — now brace yourself for the economic hit
Everyone is talking about inflation and its effect on every-day life but few are changing their every-day behaviour. This article makes an interesting connection between the recent long-term bull market coupled with low interest rates and the “wealthy-ness” effect – the comfort that Canadians have felt in increasing their personal spending.
Navigating Emotional Real Estate Decisions
Our House, the gentle Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young classic – written, incidentally, by Graham Nash – strikes an emotional beat familiar to many homeowners or wannabe homeowners. The song describes an everyday scene yet it’s beloved by millions because, as the cliché goes, home is where the heart is.