Build Wealth Canada Podcast

On this episode, we cover some of the top financial mistakes Canadians make, as well as common misconceptions that may be holding you back in accelerating your investments and net worth. Links and Resources: Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. The Canadian Financial Summit is available at CanadianFinancialSummit.com Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest

In this episode, we talk about what a robo advisor is, and how it can be a lot less expensive than the traditional approach of investing in high-fee, actively managed mutual funds. I find robo advisors to be the easiest way to invest in Canada, but this does result in higher fees than if you were to just buy the investments yourself (which is actually really easy).  I personally just buy the investments myself to get the lowest fees and pay the least tax possible (You can see exactly how I do it over at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest.) With that said, I realize not everybody wants to learn how to actually be a passive investor and get the lowest possible fees, and so robo advisors can be a good option if you value simplicity of fees.  Links and Resources Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments.  Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest Questions Covered: 1. For those just getting started in investing, can you explain what a robo advisor service is, and especially why we as Canadians should care? 2. When you build investment portfolios for Canadians, why are ETFs such a core part of your portfolios? (perhaps explain what an ETF is first for all the listeners just getting started with this) 3. Nest Wealth mentions that you manage the money based on proven investing principles and Nobel Prize-winning theories. Can you elaborate on the Nobel Prize-winning theories component? 4. One thing I noticed on your Nest Wealth site, is that you actually list all the ETFs you buy (which is nice, I really like that transparency), but if I’m just a regular Canadian, why don’t I just buy the ETFs myself through a discount brokerage (especially since some discount brokerages let me buy ETFs for free) and then save on the fees that Nest Wealth charges? 5. Anybody following the financial services industry knows that there are a LOT of robo advisor services out in Canada. What sets Nest Wealth apart from all the rest? 5.a. One of the things that really intrigued me when I first heard of you guys is that you have a flat fee model. For those not familiar, can you explain what that is and why it’s actually a pretty big deal? 5.b. You mention that your portfolios are “custom built” unlike your competitors. Can you elaborate how this works and why it’s so important? 6. I imagine that a big concern Canadians have is that with all these robo advisor companies out there, it’s totally conceivable that not all of them will survive long term. Because of this, it wouldn’t surprise me if some Canadians are holding back from investing because they are afraid of losing all their money if something was to ever happen. Can you speak to this concern? 7. What customer support do you offer? Ex. If somebody has questions while going through the automated portfolio building process? What about after all is set up? 8. One of the other things that intrigued me was that on your site you mention that as a client you get your own portfolio manager that you can speak with, text or call. What types of things is a Portfolio Manager ideally suited to help you with? And what types of question are beyond the scope of a Portfolio Manager like this? (I’m trying to gauge what kind of other professionals you need on your team apart from Nest Wealth). 10. I went through Nest Wealth and had it build a portfolio for me. I noticed that there were different goals that you can select, and I assume Nest Wealth will optimize your portfolio, depending on your goal correct? How does Nest Wealth change what portfolio it recommends depending on whether somebody is savings for retirement vs is already retired and now needs the income instead of growth? What about if they’re saving for something like a down payment on a home or post-secondary education for their child? What’s the strategy behind those types of portfolios? 11. I noticed Nest Wealth will build your portfolio based on your questions, but it won’t actually tell you whether you will be able to actually retire by an age you specify, and whether your income in retirement is sustainable. Is that because that is an area where you actually need a financial planner to do a more in-depth, 1-on-1 personalized analysis with you? 12. How is the MER absorbed? Is that covered by the monthly fee? What about other fees? 13. To close things off, who is Nest Wealth not for? ex. Those with credit card debt? 13. Who is Nest Wealth ideally for? What type of person benefits most from what your service?

Guest Sean Cooper shares how he achieved financial independence by buying a house at 27 and paying off his mortgage at 30 in Toronto. Topics include saving for a down payment, navigating the real estate market, balancing mortgage payments with retirement savings, advice for entering the real estate market, strategies for paying off the mortgage, investing in index funds, and utilizing home equity for investments.

Today we have Susan Daley on the show and we’re going to talk all about early retirement, such us how to pull it off, what to look out for, and some of the most common mistakes that Canadians make when trying to plan this out. Susan is an Associate Portfolio Manager at PWL Capital in Waterloo, where she provides financial planning and investment management services to a wide range of clients. She’s also an Honours BBA graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University, which is actually where I graduated from too, so it’s always fun to chat with a fellow grad about best practices when it comes to financial planning and investing. Links and Resources Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest You can reach out to Susan at sdaley@pwlcapital.com and she's at www.pwlcapital.com/waterloo Questions Covered: For somebody that is saving money for a large purchase like a house, wedding, a car, etc., where do you suggest they keep their money to let it grow safely? What to consider when deciding between RRSP vs TFSA vs non-registered?  What if you’re planning to retire or semi-retire early (ex. 30s or 40s where it’s still a long time before government benefits come in). Does that change anything in terms of what accounts you put the funds in?  Is there any time that you would use a non-registered account before using an RRSP and TFSA? How to determine if you’ve saved enough to retire early?  Once you hit that number, what changes do you make to your portfolio since now you’re focused on sustainability instead of growth (changes in terms of asset allocation, and the investment products you choose). Would the answer be different if the person is in their 60s and about to receive government benefits vs if they are retired much earlier (ex. 40s)? What cash cushion do you recommend for those in retirement and semi-retirement? Some advisors recommend real return bonds for those in retirement. What are your thoughts?  How to decide what accounts to take money from in retirement? (RRSP vs TFSA vs non-registered)  

In this episode, we’re going to continue covering the subject of “How to Not Run Out of Money in Retirement”, specifically for Canadians. This is from a live webinar that I did for Canadian MoneySaver Magazine so in case you weren’t able to make it, I wanted to provide you with as many tips as possible from that presentation in audio form. If you missed part 1 of the series, it's the episode right before this one (episode 31). Links and Resources Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest Bonuses for Build Wealth Canada Listeners: You are eligible to receive a free 1-year paid subscription to Canadian MoneySaver Magazine by signing up for the free 5i Trial at www.buildwealthcanada.ca/trial. If you would like more information, just listen to the beginning of the episode or you can learn more about 5i Research below: In case you’re new to the show, 5i Research is Canada’s only conflict-free investment research network. What that means is that as you know, there is a lot of conflict of interest in Canada when it comes to people telling you what to invest in.   So let’s say you go to your bank and ask to speak to a financial advisor because you want to invest some money. Well what many of them will do, is try to sell you their investment products like their mutual funds for example. You’ll get a well-rehearsed sales pitch, but what they don’t tell you is how ridiculously high their fees are compared to just investing the money yourself using ETFs or stocks. There’s also a conflict of interest because they are incentivised (either through bonuses or getting a promotion at work) to sell you products that make the company the most money, but may not necessarily be the best fit for you and make you the most money. So here’s the thing, why would you ask someone what you should invest in when that person has a financial incentive to sell you what makes them the most money, as opposed to what makes you the most money so that you can, for example, retire early because you’re not paying ridiculous fees on underperforming investments? Where 5i Research comes in is that they actually have a team of analysts that do the research, and all the financial math and analysis for you on the best investments to own (whether it’s the top stocks or the top ETFs in Canada), and whether you’re a growth focused investor, or a dividend focused investor. What makes them stand out, is that they don’t try to sell you any investments, so they’re not getting some commission or fee on the back-end, and the result is you getting unbiased investment analysis and insights, where you never have to worry that they are recommending something just because they are getting some sort extra compensation on the back-end. What’s also neat, is that you can ask them questions, like if you’re considering a particular stock or ETF. Or, maybe you have no clue what you should invest in, and in that case they can recommend some model portfolios for you depending on your risk tolerance, objectives, and whether you want to invest in ETFs, stocks, or both. They actually already have over 54,000 answered quested in their database, so you can actually see what others are asking too about the stock or ETF that you’re considering buying, and see the answers to those too. Now as a listener of the Build Wealth Canada Show, you can actually get full access to everything for free for 1 month. In other words, you get full access to all the stock and ETF recommendations, all the model portfolios, as well as 5i’s database of over 54,000 answered investing questions. I definitely encourage you to check it out as at the very least you’ll learn a ton and it’s all free anyway. And if for some strange reason that’s not enough, I’ve also arranged for Build Wealth Canada listeners to get two extra bonuses: Bonus 1: The first, is that when you sign up for the free trial, you’ll also get a 1 year, paid subscriptions to Canadian MoneySaver Magazine, absolutely free. This is the exact same magazine that you see at Chapters and other stores all across Canada, and you get the entire subscription, for free, for an entire year, no strings attached. Bonus 2: The 2nd bonus, is that you’ll also get 1 question credit for free, on the 5i Research site. This means you can actually ask 5i’s team of analysts your most pressing investment question and they’ll answer it for you, using the knowledge and investment tools that you and I simply don’t have access to. So enjoy, it’s all free, you’ll learn an absolute ton, and you can get it all by going to www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/trial. In Closing: If you enjoyed the episode, please take a moment to leave an honest review and rating on iTunes by clicking the “View in iTunes” button at this link. If you have any tips, suggestions or comments, please be sure to leave a comment in the section below. I read all responses and look forward to hearing from you. Have a great week, Kornel  

How Much Do You Need to Retire? No matter what age you are, chances are you’ve asked yourself this critical question at some point. The stakes are high, and there are no do-overs, so how can you best prepare yourself now to ensure that you have enough to live the lifestyle you want in retirement? Join me as I dive into the best practices and key factors to consider when figuring this out for yourself. Is there a magic retirement number that you should aim for with your investments? What levers can you pull to retire early, and sustain that retirement long-term?   Whether you’re decades away from retirement or are getting close to that big day, join me to learn some of the key considerations to ensure that you have enough to retire. Links and Resources Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest

Ex-banker John Kalos shares insider tips on saving at banks, negotiating better rates, and comprehensive financial planning. Topics include maximizing savings with ETFs, tax strategies for business owners, and the importance of independent financial advice.

In this episode, I’ve pulled together the newest numbers of what you can expect from your investments. These are based on historical returns using several different highly reputable sources that I personally use and trust. In other words, this isn’t some subjective opinion of what one person thinks you’ll get on your investments. Instead, it’s actual data, studies, and reports that reputable sources in the industry have put together, and is what I personally use. I’ve also created a summary where you can see the ranges of possible investment returns based on the different sources (which use different times frames and assumptions). You can get all that by going to the episode's show notes over at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/29 Links and Resources The summary, graphs, and text version of this is available in the episode's page at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/29 Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest

Sandy Martin, a fee-for-service financial planner and former banker, dives into the intricacies of tax-efficient withdrawals from RRSPs and TFSAs during retirement. She stresses the importance of customized planning tailored to individual financial situations. Topics include managing tax brackets with RRSP withdrawals, the impact of continuing to work during retirement, and strategies to mitigate sequence of returns risk. Sandy also explains the differences among pension plans and how to set realistic return expectations, helping listeners navigate their retirement savings effectively.

Today I wanted to cover the subject of debt consolidation. What is it? Should you do it? and if so, then what are the options available to you? Links and Resources Top Tools and Resources for Financial Independence (for Canadians): Sign up anywhere on www.BuildWealthCanada.ca for a free guide on all the top tools and sites that I’ve personally used to help us achieve financial independence in our early 30s. They’re also what we use now to optimize and manage our finances, and ensure that we’re paying the lowest fees while getting solid returns on our investments. Kornel's investing course with free sample lessons at www.BuildWealthCanada.ca/invest Questions Covered What does it mean to consolidate your credit, and in what circumstances should somebody consider doing this? A common argument against credit consolidation services is that they don’t solve the underlying issue. In other words, somebody might consolidate their debt which frees up space on their credit cards or line of credit, and then they just end up taking on more debt since they haven’t changed their lifestyle and habits to live a debt free life. How can someone prevent this from happening to them? Since you deal with a lot of individuals that have gotten into significant debt and are struggling to get out, what are the most common mistakes that you see people make that get them in this situation in the first place? What are you thoughts on the use of emergency funds? Some experts suggest keeping it in cash, while others suggest having a line of credit for emergencies and using any available cash to pay off the debt. Where do you stand on this debate? After paying off any high interest debt, what are your recommendations on paying off student loans and the mortgage vs investing the money for retirement? For somebody that wants to see if consolidating their credit is right for them, what is the process that they get taken through with you from beginning to end?