Stress Test

Has being in lockdown made your condo feel like a shoebox? Are you thinking about giving up on downtown living for more space in the suburbs? You’re not alone. In today’s episode, we look at the why some young adults are abandoning city living for smaller communities with lower house prices... and more space. We hear from a 34-year-old who left Toronto for a bigger home in southern Ontario’s wine country. Plus, Rob and Roma speak with Pascal Chan, a millennial who works at the Canadian Real Estate Association, about where people are moving, why and what you should think about if you’re considering doing the same.

High rent and house prices have many young Canadians moving in together early to share costs. But what happens when one’s a spender and the other’s a saver? And what if one partner makes significantly more money, or has more debt? In this episode, Rob and Roma discuss how couples can avoid money blowouts. We hear from a 30-something Toronto-based lawyer who started dating his girlfriend during the pandemic. The couple is now looking at options for moving in together. Plus, Rob and Roma speak to Liz Schieck, a certified financial planner who has helped plenty of young couples navigate the pitfalls and challenges of joining their finances.

Credit scores put the personal in personal finance. They’re your entire life as a borrower compressed into one number. But what qualifies as a “good” score, and why do these numbers bounce around all the time? What can be done to improve a bad score? Rob and Roma are back together (but apart) in their makeshift podcast studios (because, well, pandemic) for another season of your favourite personal finance podcast. In this episode they get answers to your credit score questions from Julie Kuzmic of Equifax Canada. Plus, we hear from Keith Emery, the co-CEO of Credit Canada Debt Solutions, about how people wind up with a bad credit score in the first place.

Stress Test is back. Join The Globe’s personal finance team, columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw, for another season of delving into the topics that impact the wallets of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 40. Listen to the trailer and season one now and subscribe to get season two in your feed.

Should you move back in with your parents if it makes sense financially? In the last episode of this season, we talk to a 23-year-old who moved back home after COVID-19 left her jobless. Plus, we hear from Rob’s family about what it was like when his 26-year-old son Will moved back home. Rob and Roma revisit Rob’s book “How Not to Move Back in With Your Parents” 10 years later to see what’s changed.

Kids are incredibly cute - and incredibly expensive. Amid soaring housing costs and a precarious job market, how much does the cost of kids factor into your decisions about whether to have them? In this episode Rob and Roma discuss how much money they'll really cost you. We hear from a 33-year-old mother about the hefty price tag of raising four kids. Plus, Roma speaks with money expert Melissa Leong about how to save and what to plan for when you’re deciding to start a family.

Many young Canadians gravitate towards living in bigger cities, but can you afford it? In this episode, we hear from a group in their 30s that are living downtown Toronto – they even let Rob and Roma get a peek at their credit card statements. Plus, Rob talks to Bridget Casey, the millennial writer of personal-finance blog Money After Graduation, about how to effectively manage your money while also enjoying the type of lifestyle you want.

So you want to be smart with your money and invest, but the stock market fluctuations during COVID-19 make it hard to know what to do. In this episode, Rob and Roma discuss the importance of investing and what’s changed since the pandemic. We hear from a 26-year-old at the beginning of his investing journey. Plus, Rob talks to Ben Felix, a millennial investment advisor about what other young Canadians should know when investing.

Were your finances ready for a major disruption like COVID-19? In this episode, Rob and Roma discuss how to avoid common money mistakes. We hear from a 36-year-old whose service industry job in Whistler was wiped out by the pandemic. Plus, Roma talks to Vancouver–based financial advisor Julia Chung about everything from TFSAs and RRSPs to credit scores and the worst kinds of debt. If you’re looking for solid financial-planning strategies and information about the savings tools available, this episode is for you.

Real estate is always a hot topic, but the pandemic adds even more questions about how and when to buy. In this episode, Rob and Roma look at Canada’s obsession with housing. We hear from a millennial who bought a condo right before the coronavirus struck. Plus, Rob chats with John Pasalis, the founder of a Toronto-based real estate brokerage, about all your home-buying concerns.