All posts by Jonathan Chevreau

The Robo Generation: Robo-Advisers now Magazine Cover Stories

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teanicola
Tea Nicola, WealthBar

By Jonathan Chevreau

Interesting cover story on robo-advisers  in the current issue of Financial Post Magazine, delivered with Tuesday’s National Post.

As an ex magazine guy myself, I find it fascinating that robo-advisers have made it to magazine cover status so quickly. A year ago they were barely known in Canada, although they’ve been a rising force in the U.S. for a few years now (chiefly via WealthFront).

In the FP feature story, deputy editor Andy Holloway describes veteran financial planner John Nicola, founder of Vancouver-based Nicola Wealth Management, which targets the 1% of investors with at least $1 million in investible assets.

Then the article moves on to the next generation: WealthBar Financial Services Inc., a (so-called) robo-adviser service headed by John Nicola’s eldest son, Christopher, and daughter-in-law Tea (pictured). Continue Reading…

Advice is Often Helpful; Stock Picking Less So

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By John De Goey, CFP

New promo Photo
John De Goey

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

One thing that I notice both in the media and in speaking with other advisors is the dual presumption that passive investment products are made for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investors and that active ones are made for people who work with advisors.

To hear some people tell it, it’s as if those who are using mutual funds have to have an advisor and those using ETFs are always DIYers.

In fact, there are two separate decisions at play here. The two mutually exclusive decisions are:

  1. Should I use an advisor or be a DIY investor?

  2. Should I use stocks, actively managed mutual funds or passive products like ETFs or index funds?

Continue Reading…

10 Planning Steps to Take Within 10 Years of Retirement

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wohlnerpic
Roger Wohlner, The Chicago Financial Planner

By Roger Wohlner, The Chicago Financial Planner 

The ten years prior to retirement are when a lot of people start to take a hard look at their retirement readiness. This makes sense, as you are likely in a position to make some decisions about what your retirement lifestyle will look like.

This is also a good opportunity to deal with any retirement shortfalls while there is still some time to make adjustments. Here are ten planning steps to take within 10 years of retirement.

Maximize your retirement savings

The ten years prior to retirement will be among the highest-income years of their careers for many retirement savers. This is a time to maximize your contributions to your 401(k) plan, to IRAs or to a self-employed retirement plan. While these contributions will not have as many years to compound as those made in your 20s and 30s, these late-career retirement contributions are still important.

Review Social Security Continue Reading…

The new Weekly Wrap: Brighter Life’s top retirement writers; reflections on Encore Careers

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By Jonathan Chevreau

dNEcyrhc_400x400It’s always nice to be recognized, so the Hub is happy to pass on Friday’s announcement by BrighterLife.ca of some of the Top Retirement writers for 2014.

The list includes me and via my Twitter feed, a nod to the Financial Independence Hub. It also notes my affiliation with MoneySense.ca, for whom I am Editor-at-Large.

Last week, Sun Life Financial also announced its list of top Money writers for 2014, which includes the Globe & Mail’s Rob Carrick, and the Toronto Star’s Ellen Roseman.

I’m not sure what exactly the distinction is between Money and Retirement, but I suppose it’s the kind of fine distinction I myself make between Retirement and Financial Independence.

As I remarked on Twitter, there is a little irony about being categorized as a retirement writer, since this site labours to make a distinction between the traditional concept of Retirement and the evolving one of Financial Independence, or Findependence.

Thus far, however, I don’t believe Sun Life has a category for Top Findependence Writers, and I suppose the Hub should take that on itself. We already do in a way: click on our Best Blogs tab for a list of the Plutus award winners. Continue Reading…

Will “Unretirement” launch your Encore Act?

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BN-ER243_bkrvun_GV_20140923135029By Jonathan Chevreau

Unretirement is a concept not unlike Findependence or Financial Independence; it’s also the title of a recently published book by Chris Farrell, Bloomberg Businessweek columnist and senior economics contributor for American Public Media’s syndicated radio show, Marketplace.

I’ve also seen the term Unretirement used by Sun Life Financial in Canada but that seems to be more a marketing term the company uses to promote its surveys on traditional retirement. That survey has been going for six years now, which certainly predates the publication of Farrell’s Unretirement Continue Reading…