Victory Lap

Once you achieve Financial Independence, you may choose to leave salaried employment but with decades of vibrant life ahead, it’s too soon to do nothing. The new stage of life between traditional employment and Full Retirement we call Victory Lap, or Victory Lap Retirement (also the title of a new book to be published in August 2016. You can pre-order now at VictoryLapRetirement.com). You may choose to start a business, go back to school or launch an Encore Act or Legacy Career. Perhaps you become a free agent, consultant, freelance writer or to change careers and re-enter the corporate world or government.

8 investment hacks to become the next self-made millionaire

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By Lachlan Malone

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

It is the desire of many people to be rich but unfortunately, not everyone would be able to achieve that except those who take conscious steps to do so.

For one to become a self-made millionaire, it will require making certain sacrifices and conscious efforts in order to realize it. Granted that one can become a millionaire through inheritance or by winning a lottery, but it’s unlikely the majority of people will have such opportunities. Here are 8 ways through which you can successfully become a millionaire.

Always invest in You

The importance of investing in oneself has become a popular cliché but it can’t be overemphasized because it’s crucial in helping one to achieve other vital needs. When you fail to invest in yourself adequately, you stand the risk of losing all other investments you made elsewhere.

There are many ways through which you can invest in yourself, as listed below:

  • Invest in your mind; people often forget to invest in their minds but that could prove costly in the long run. You can invest in your mind by reading constantly. Aside from helping you gain more knowledge, reading will equally sharpen your brain and help to guard against deterioration. Another way is through meditation, which will help you to relax and focus.
  • Invest in your body; this is as important as investing in your mind. Neglecting your body can have disastrous consequences. Ways through which you can invest in your body include exercise, regular checkup, adequate sleep, eating healthy foods, avoiding bad habits like smoking, alcoholism etc.

Make a monthly Budget Plan

Basically, making a budget plan entails creating a practical analysis on how you hope to make your expenses. This plan will enable you to proactively decipher if you have the capacity to carry out certain projects or not. Through your budget plan, you can easily prioritize areas to spend more or less as well as tasks to do at the moment or in the near future.

A budget plan will help you to manage your resources efficiently and effectively, and equally help you to make the right choices. A good budget plan can ultimately help you to accumulate wealth.

Check your achievements today

In a fast paced world like ours today, people tend to be in a perpetual race in trying to pay the bills, meet work obligations, complete a course/program, earn more money, climb the ranks etc.; all these activities can occupy their time so much that they hardly sit back to take stock.

It’s important to make periodic assessments of your aims and objectives as well as to take stock of all the things you’ve achieved so far. You need to cut yourself some slack on how far you’ve gone and the achievements you’ve made while self-motivating yourself to continue climbing the ladder of success.

Find a right Business

The type of business you do could potentially make or mar your chances of becoming rich. Fact is some businesses are more profitable than others. Similarly, some businesses are more risk prone than others, and some are more demanding than others. Continue Reading…

Retired Money: How Vanguard’s 4% targeted payout on VRIF makes it easier for retirees to draw income

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My latest MoneySense Retired Money column looks at Vanguard Canada’s new targeted 4% annual payout vehicle for retirees and near-retirees, provided by its new VRIF ETF. You can find the full article by clicking on the highlighted headline: The lowdown on Vanguard’s Retirement Income ETF: can you rely on its 4% payout target?

The Vanguard Retirement Income ETF Portfolio [VRIF/TSX] started trading Sept. 16th and offers retirees and near-retirees a 4% targeted — as opposed to guaranteed — payout. See also the Hub’s republication of Robb Engen’s preview on VRIF that appeared first on his BoomerandEcho site.

Positioned as a “Decumulation” product for retirees and near-retirees, it’s probably no coincidence that the 4% target is nicely in line with the long-established 4% Rule discussed on the Hub and MoneySense earlier this summer.

While a targeted return is NOT a guarantee – unlike the guaranteed but puny rates paid by GICs these days – Vanguard expects it will attract a fair amount of money from income-oriented investors suffering sticker shock when their GICs mature. Currently, many 1-year GICs pay around 0.5%, ranging from as little as 0.3% to no more than 1.1%. Even going out to 5-year terms, they’re typically paying only 1.4%, ranging from under 1% to 2% in the best case.

Technically, those GIC returns are “guaranteed”  but a cynic might say they’re guaranteed to lose money on an after-tax, inflation-adjusted “real return” basis. Based on recent statements by the Bank of Canada and US federal reserve, this is not likely to improve before 2023. In the UK there are even renewed whispers of negative rates.

Of course, to achieve the 4% targeted payout, investors still have to bear some stock-market risk. VRIF consists of eight existing Vanguard stock and bond ETFs with an asset mix of roughly 50% stocks and 50% bonds.

VRIF has much lower fees than comparable income mutual funds and income ETFs

Monthly income mutual funds and ETFs have been around for years but as is typical, Vanguard aims to be the low-cost leader in the category. With such tiny returns from the fixed-income component, those costs are an important determinant of how much money is left for investors. The full MoneySense article recaps the fees relative to existing income mutual funds and income ETFs. Continue Reading…

Vanguard’s VRIF: Your new single-ticket Retirement Income Solution

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Two years ago, Vanguard launched a suite of asset allocation ETFs that changed the game for DIY investors in their accumulation years. These balanced ETFs provide low-cost, global diversification, and automatic rebalancing with just one fund.

On Wednesday (Sept 16), Vanguard announced another evolution in the asset allocation ETF space with a new product aimed at retirees in the decumulation phase. The Vanguard Retirement Income ETF Portfolio, or VRIF, uses global diversification and a total return approach to provide steady monthly income at a target payout rate of 4% per year.

ETF TSX Symbol Management fee Target annual payout
Vanguard Retirement Income ETF Portfolio VRIF 0.29% 4%

Saving for retirement is by far the number one objective for investors and Vanguard believes that space is well covered with their now flagship products like VEQT, VGRO, and VBAL. An investor in his or her accumulation phase could simply move down the risk ladder, switching from VEQT to VGRO to VBAL as they get closer to retirement age.

But what to do with your ETF portfolio in retirement? It’s a question I get every time I mention the benefits of investing in asset allocation ETFs. Prior to today, the answer was to sell ETF units as necessary to meet your spending needs or rely on smaller, quarterly distributions of around 2% per year.

With VRIF, investors get a predictable monthly income stream (targeted at 4% per year) to help meet their regular spending needs and not have to worry about rebalancing and/or selling ETF units.

Indeed, you could think of VRIF as the retirement equivalent of VBAL.

Vanguard Retirement Income ETF Portfolio (VRIF)

VRIF is a single-ticket income solution. It’s a wrapper containing eight underlying Vanguard ETFs that offer global exposure to more than 29,000 individual equity and fixed income securities.

Related: Top ETFs and Model Portfolios in Canada

Here’s a look under the hood of VRIF:

Asset class ETF Weight
Canadian equity VCN 9.0%
Canadian aggregate fixed income VAB 2.0%
Canadian corporate fixed income VCB 24.0%
Emerging markets equity VEE 1.0%
U.S. fixed income (CAD-hedged) VBU 2.0%
U.S. equity VUN 18.0%
Developed ex North America equity VIU 22.0%
Global ex U.S. fixed income (CAD-hedged) VBG 22.0%

Here is the geographic breakdown of VRIF’s holdings:

  • Canada – 35%
  • United States – 20%
  • Developed ex North America – 44%
  • Emerging markets – 1%

VRIF focuses on a total return approach using an approximate asset allocation of 50% equity and 50% fixed income. This approach allows the portfolio to payout from capital appreciation in years when the portfolio yields fall below the target.

A total-return approach is more tax-friendly because VRIF can distribute from capital appreciation. In that case, only the difference between the cost basis and the sale price is taxed. Meanwhile, the full dividend distribution from underlying securities is taxable.

Vanguard highlights the transparency of VRIF and its underlying holdings, saying because its building blocks are clear, you always know what you’re investing in and why, adding that regular monitoring and rebalancing helps maintain exposures across key sub asset classes and risk levels.

VRIF’s 0.29% management fee (before taxes) is roughly one-third the cost of any comparable monthly income mutual fund in Canada. Costs matter, especially to retirees with sizeable portfolios who are looking to keep more of their returns and protect their investment base. Continue Reading…

8 financial benefits employers can use to attract good employees

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In today’s environment, great candidates are not just looking for a competitive salary. They want great benefits as well! With many companies offering unique perks like extended vacation days or flex time, it is important that you bring something to the table that stands out. Financial benefits are a great way to do just that! 

By rewarding employees with more than just disposable income, you are creating new opportunities for things that they find rewarding. To get a better understanding of how different companies implement financial benefits, we chatted with eight business leaders about their approaches. Check out their ideas below!

Signing Bonus

While offering a signing bonus isn’t a necessity, employees greatly appreciate it. This could give your new employee some extra cash to compensate for moving or for making up for the time in between jobs. It is a great way to say “welcome to the team!”  — Pete Newstrom, Arrowlift

Pension Matching 

To attract good employees, it is necessary to offer something competitive that other companies might not offer. Matching your employee’s 401(k) contributions up to a certain percentage is a great way to let the people that work for you know that you care about their future. — Chris Dunkin, Portable Air  Continue Reading…

Understanding the Chargeback Process to ward off Credit-card Fraud

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By Gary Bordeaux

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Proper accounting and cash flow management is critical for both big and small business owners. This seems obvious enough, but when we move from accounts receivable into the world of refunds and chargebacks, the water can begin to get muddy, and it can be more difficult to keep track of where you stand. The first action to take towards fixing and preventing the problems this can cause is to understand what chargebacks are, and what to expect when you are presented with one.

The two types of Chargebacks

If you’re a new entrepreneur, you may be asking “what is a chargeback?” A chargeback is a form of fraud dispute that comes in two basic methods. First, a chargeback can be a transaction that is reversed due to activity that may be fraudulent designed to protect a consumer a business or both. In the second type of chargeback, the credit card company demands a vendor replace or make good a loss incurred by the consumer due to a fraudulent charge.

It’s important to mention early that a refund is very different from a chargeback. A refund is instigated by one or both parties, and usually involves the re-exchange of an item for its purchasing price or value. Chargebacks are inherently fraud mitigation processes that may have additional fees that must be paid by the party deemed at fault, usually the retailer.

Who is involved and what is the process?

The key players in the chargeback process begin with the customer, who usually is the one to dispute a charge. They file a complaint with their credit card’s issuing bank, which may be their local branch or a national finance company that has provided them with their card. The issuing bank takes the concern up with their issuing bank processor, which will verify the account balances of the customer and then approve or reject transactions that have come through any of the four major card networks (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express).

The card networks are responsible for settlement. Their next step is working with an acquiring bank (or acquirer) that accepts funds for the retailer from the buyer. They are responsible for the settling of additional fees like processing, interchange, or network fees. Their merchant account processor does just what their name implies: process payments for the merchant. These go into the merchant commercial bank account, which is simply the retailers’ account; the destination for funds. But this is where funds can be pulled for chargebacks and given back to the customer.

Reason Codes

When dealing with Chargebacks, it’s important for a business to be familiar with reason codes. Reason codes are the shorthand for the card networks, and signify why a charge has been disputed, resulting in a chargeback. Continue Reading…