All posts by Jonathan Chevreau

ETFs: the next 25 years

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Mark Yamada

By Mark Yamada, PUR Investing Inc.

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

From zero assets in 1989, to $79 billion in 2000, to $2.7 trillion into 2015, it has been quite a ride for global exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Few financial sectors have approached the over 25% compounded annual growth that ETFs have enjoyed. Yet many industry observers are disappointed.

ETFs’ value proposition is well known: diversification, professional management, shared expenses, all the benefits of mutual funds at a fraction of the price plus better transparency and continuous intraday trading. Yet ETFs represent only 12% of US and 6% of Canadian mutual fund assets (10% if US-traded ETFs owned by Canadians are included). If ETFs are so much better than mutual funds, why haven’t they replaced them by now?

Adopting new ideas Continue Reading…

Aging, longevity & the Urban Agenda

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markvenning
Mark Venning, ChangeRangers.com

By Mark Venning, ChangeRangers.com

Special to the Financial Independence Hub 

Unless extreme wild-card world events occur that might change the urban agenda, over the next fifteen years the global population will be at the highest level of its migration to cities. It is no longer a question of looking for clues in the shifting elements of demography. The lab results are in and the evidence is firmly in front of us.

I will submit here, that if there is one place where the longevity revolution is to play out most prominently, it is in the urban space. The evolution of cities will be every generation’s project – function, form, flow and the fabric of human interaction. Over the same next fifteen years, the percentage of persons older than 65 will be significantly higher and thus the need to adapt the urban agenda to a workable inter-generational model for an aging population is a key opportunity.

Need for more age-inclusive cities

Continue Reading…

Experiential Vacations as part of your Encore Act

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Couple snorkeling in Caribbean watersBy Frank Psoras, VP Credit Cards, TD Bank

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

A growing number of North Americans – both young and old – are using vacations as a time to embark on a new adventure or pursue a personal interest. In fact, my wife and I recently travelled to the Cayman Islands to snorkel with exotic fish and swim with local sting ray.

According to a recent TD travel survey, roughly three quarters (74%) of Canadians have already taken or are interested in taking an experiential vacation. And older baby boomers are also interested in trying new travel experiences, with 65% having taken or expressing interest in this type of trip.

But when it comes to travel, there are various factors people consider when determining the type of trip they will take. Continue Reading…

Helping love ones in their financial crisis

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Food Relief CharityBy Peter Christopher,

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

It’s disturbing  to see loved ones undergoing financial hardships at any time of year, let alone during Easter. It may feel like you’re going through a monetary crisis yourself.

The hard reality is that while most of  will want to help friends or family members get out of a financial hole, we may be reluctant to do so at the expense of leaving our own finances in a more precarious condition. So it’s good news that there are reliable ways to guide your friends and/or family members to identify resources that could get them back on the track.

Lend them a hand

It’s often difficult to know where to seek help. To make things worse, constant strain can negatively affect thoughts and skill to solve problems. A good way to help a loved one in financial distress is to put them in touch with a center within their community. These centers may be able to help with housing, food, medical services and more.

Some communities may also offer such assistance online. Visit local community centers, houses of worship, schools and libraries to collect information on where to get help. Continue Reading…

Weekly Wrap, Easter edition: finding purpose, Declaration of Financial Independence & more

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Light at end of the tunnel.By Jonathan Chevreau

Since it’s Easter weekend and Passover begins tonight, I thought we’d dedicate the Hub’s weekly wrap to more spiritual matters or at least view personal finances through a spiritual lens.

We’ll start with this essay from Peter Grandich:  A Biblical Perspective on Matters of Finance. As Peter noted in an email to me, “We know that matters of finance are the second most talked about topic in the Bible.”

One of five “Religious Personal Finance” blogs flagged on the Hub’s Top Blogs tag is Out of Your Rut. It recently ran an intriguing piece entitled 10 ways to be rich without being wealthy. Continue Reading…