Why Don’t Most Financial Planners Plan Finances?
Unconventional Wisdom
What do you call a financial planner that does not plan finances? I know that sounds funny. But it is an important topic to understand. Most people assume that when they hire a financial planner, they're getting a personalized roadmap for their financial life. Yet surprisingly, that’s often not the case, and it can have a huge impact on your future. In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn: Why don’t most financial planners plan finances? What does Ed’s team see with the public? What is a financial plan? What difference does a Financial Plan make in your life?
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How to Reliably Maximize Your Retirement Income – Is the “4% Rule” Safe?
Unconventional Wisdom
You want to retire soon. What is the best way to set up your retirement income to give you the maximum cash flow that will reliably last the rest of your life? Many financial planners use the “4% Rule”, which says that you can, for example, withdraw $40,000/year rising by inflation for life from a $1 million portfolio. Is that safe? I studied 146 years of investment history. The conclusions are surprising: 1. Most of the advice seniors are given is not supported by history. 2. I found what really works to give you the maximum reliable retirement income – both how to set up your...
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Financial Advice or Financial Quackery?
Unconventional Wisdom
How can you tell whether financial advice you receive is real financial advice or financial quackery? Much of what happens in the financial industry is financial quackery, but because the common methods are familiar to most of us, they appear normal. You can’t really see how inadequate and funny many financial procedures are until you compare them to other fields. “Quackery” is a fun word that normally refers to medicine. It is a type of health fraud that promotes products and services that have questionable and unproven scientific bases. In my latest podcast episode you’ll...
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Journey to Conquer Cancer Walk for Princess Margaret Research in Honour of Ann Hetram
Unconventional Wisdom
This is a personal post and my first post with a request. My wife, life partner and business partner, Ann Hetram, passed away unexpectedly from cancer 2 months ago. She received excellent care at Princess Margaret Hospital, which is the best cancer hospital in Canada. In her honour, I am co-captain of a team in the Journey to Conquer Cancer walk to support research at Princess Margaret Hospital. My team is the Harbour Square Team for my condo building. The walk is on Sunday, June 15 at 9 AM. It starts at the University of Toronto, Varsity Stadium, 299 Bloor Street West, Toronto....
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Rempel Maximum - The Story of Joe & Rich
Unconventional Wisdom
How can your life really be different if you focus on maximum wealth-building principles? It’s not about the money. It’s about your life. This story is an extreme version of the life of an ordinary person managing his money exceptionally. The concepts are in my last post, “Rempel Maximum – 5 Steps to Becoming a Multi-Millionaire”. We often hear that building wealth is just about numbers. But here’s the truth: the numbers are just the tools. What really matters is what those numbers do for your life. In this article, you’ll see the stark contrast between two ordinary guys—Joe...
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Rempel Maximum: 5 Steps to Becoming a Multi-Millionaire
Unconventional Wisdom
Remember the show “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Are you the kind of person that wants to build some serious wealth? Live an exceptional life? Be financially free? I don’t mean just a comfortable amount. I mean a lot – like being a multi-millionaire. The truth is, average people can become very wealthy just by managing their money for maximum growth. I’m not talking about a “get rich quick scheme”. I’m talking about a solid, reliable way to become wealthy over time. The Rempel Maximum is the most aggressive of the 8 Smith Manoeuvre strategies. In my latest podcast...
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The Smith Manoeuvre – Is Your Mortgage Tax Deductible?
Unconventional Wisdom
The Smith Manoeuvre is an efficient strategy to use equity in your home to invest for your future without using your cash flow. It converts your mortgage over time into a tax deductible investment credit line. Most Canadians are searching for a feeling of financial security, but all the bills & life expenses mean they never build up enough of a nest egg to be secure. The Smith Manoeuvre is a strategy that can help you build your nest egg and help you achieve the retirement you want without using your cash flow. We have become known as experts in the Smith Manoeuvre, having helped hundreds...
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3 Principles of Successful Investors (UPDATED)
Unconventional Wisdom
Are you one of those investors for whom things just seem to always work out well? Getting superior long term returns seems to take little effort. Whatever strategy you use seems to eventually work. You don’t spend much time or effort, yet most of the time you are feeling quite confident about your investments. Or are you the type of investor who always seems to struggle? It seems everything you buy goes down right after you buy. When you finally sell, they take off. And the investments you hold long term mostly underperform. We have often encountered both these types of...
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When Can I Retire With the Lifestyle I Want?
Unconventional Wisdom
When can I retire with the lifestyle I want? That’s the #1 priority for our clients—based on my experience creating thousands of financial plans over the last 25+ years. They want financial freedom. It’s what we all really want. But you need a retirement plan to get there. It won’t happen on its own. Creating your retirement plan is fun. It’s not about the money. It’s all about your life. Your retirement plan is the GPS for your life. It makes you wealthier, because it gets you to your goal the quickest and most effective way. In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn: What...
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Support Top Charities with Ed & Ann’s “Best Things First” Foundation
Unconventional Wisdom
Have you ever wondered how much your donation really helps the poor? Or how much it really helps find cures? Which charities help the poor the most for each dollar donated? You can now donate to the most cost-effective charities in the world with Ed & Ann’s charitable foundation “Best Things First”. In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn: How did Ed & Ann get started looking for cost-effective charities? Why is a cost-effective charity important? How did they learn about GiveWell? Why did Ed & Ann create a foundation? How can you support the world’s top...
info_outlineIn a recent podcast episode, I talked about who the poor & wealthy are and how did they get there.
Today, I’m diving deeper into one crucial aspect: how the wealthy became wealthy.
Can their strategies work for you?
Over the years, I’ve seen the full financial picture of thousands of Canadians and read countless studies on wealth building.
While my clients are generally higher-income, growth-focused individuals who work with a financial plan, I’ve also spoken to countless others—through this blog, in person, and within my network of wealthy individuals.
These insights have given me a clear understanding of who achieves financial success and the steps they took to get there.
In my latest podcast episode you’ll learn:
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How much do you need to be “wealthy”?
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What types of people have high net worth?
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What is a “productive growth asset”?
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Do you have to borrow to invest to become wealthy?
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What does the Lifecycle Investing study tell us about growing wealth?
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How can you copy their methods and become wealthy?