Stress Test

2021 was a year of surprises in personal finance. Who would have thought inflation would take off, housing could get even hotter and that job-hopping would be commonplace amid a global pandemic? So, what’s next? In this episode, Rob and Roma ask four personal finance experts - Robb Engen, Preet Banerjee, Erica Alini and Barry Choi - what they'll be watching in 2022. Plus, Rob and Roma share their own thoughts.

If you’ve bought anything online recently, chances are you’ve seen the buy now, pay later (BNPL) option when checking out. BNPL is an instalment payment plan that allows you to spread out the cost of your purchase over several increments, and often interest-free too. It sounds convenient and especially tempting around holiday season, but is it smart personal finance? In this episode, Rob and Roma delve into how BNPL has surged in popularity during the pandemic. We hear from two women in their 20’s who have tried BNPL and had very different experiences. Plus, Rob speaks to Jessica Moorhouse, a financial educator and host of the More Money podcast, to hear why she thinks consumers should be skeptical.

If you drive a car, buy groceries or pay for shelter, chances are you’ve noticed that right now you’re paying a lot more for things than you did last year. With the inflation rate  higher than it’s been in decades, how concerned should you be? And what can you do to combat the rising costs? We hear from two millennials — a Torontonian hit by soaring food prices and a new homeowner in Calgary — to learn where Canadians are feeling the pinch and how they’re adapting. Plus, Roma talks to The Globe’s economics columnist David Parkinson about what’s causing the rapid increase in inflation and how much longer it might be with us.

If you’ve listened to our show over the last few seasons, you already know that soaring home prices have caused all kinds of problems for Gen Z and millennials looking to buy in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver. The search for more affordable housing sent some first-time buyers to smaller cities and towns. But how has that impacted the young Canadians who already lived in those places? What happens to affordability for locals with home ownership dreams? In this episode, Rob and Roma finally leave their home studios and hit the road with the rest of the Stress Test team to find the real story in Belleville, Ontario.

Your favourite personal finance podcast is back for a fourth season. Join hosts Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw as they talk to real people and experts to tackle the money questions that have been on your mind. Coming up this season: what rising inflation means for you, those ‘buy now pay later’ options you’re seeing everywhere and of course, housing. Listen to the trailer and catch up on previous episodes now.

Investing has been one of the biggest financial stories of the pandemic. There was the stock market crash in March 2020, followed by a huge rebound. We’ve heard about meme stocks and cryptocurrencies. But what does it all mean for Gen Z and millennials? In the final episode of season three, we hear from listeners about their investment stories and how they reacted to all the ups and downs during COVID-19.

One way to cut housing costs is for multiple generations of a family to live together: often children, their parents and their grandparents. The concept isn’t new and it has many benefits, including affordability in expensive housing markets. But how do you make it work both financially and personally? We hear from a family that moved three generations into a home they designed and built in North Bay, Ont. Plus, Rob talks to Murtaza Haider, a professor of real estate management at Ryerson University, and real estate consultant Stephen Moranis about what multigenerational housing looks like in Canada. They also look at tips for people who want to move forward with this type of housing arrangement.

Paying for childcare is not the first or second thing that comes to mind when you decide to start a family. So how do you plan for the impending costs that can be so high in Canada that some call it “the second mortgage”? We hear from Kristi, a 34-year-old who made the move from Saskatchewan to Victoria, B.C., with her husband during the pandemic while juggling debt, a new job, unemployment - and their first baby. Plus, Roma talks to Janine Rogan, a Calgary-based chartered professional accountant with a six-month-old at home. Janine breaks down how to financially prepare for the cost of daycare.

The pandemic ruined many wedding plans. But even before that, a culmination of peer pressure and over-the-top consumerism had pushed the cost of weddings sky-high. It's made some couples ask: What is a wedding worth? We hear from Jasmine, a glamorous but cost-conscious millennial who got married just as the world first shut down during COVID-19. Plus, Karen Cleveland, co-author of the book called The New Wedding Book: A Guide To Ditching All the Rules, talks with Roma about the need to rethink weddings from a personal finance perspective.

Fewer spontaneous coffees, commuting costs and vacations have left some with a tidy sum in their savings. This week, we're sharing an episode of The Decibel, The Globe and Mail's daily podcast hosted by Tamara Khandaker. In this episode, Rob and Roma join Tamara to talk about what to do with new-found savings, the meaning of "revenge spending" and how to stave off FOMO in a post-vaccine world.