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.

Canada’s Best Energy Dividend Stocks 2023

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By Dale Roberts,

Million Dollar Journey

Special to Financial Independence Hub 

Canada’s energy stocks have been a key part of my investing strategy for some time now.

In August of 2020 I asked if Canada’s energy dividends were in trouble?

Of course that was before energy prices and energy stocks were dominating the headlines. At the time Canadian oil prices were about $30 a barrel and energy dividends were under a lot of pressure due to collapsed earnings.

That price has more than tripled, was above $115 U.S. and now sits near $70 U.S. in 2023. Those generous oil prices have fuelled incredible earnings and dividend growth. There is no sector over the last few years with greater free cash flow.

The oil and gas sector was also the only sector in Canada to provide positive total returns in 2022. This came as no surprise, as energy is the only sector known to provide reliable inflation protection.

That said, the price of oil has been coming down thanks to the rising rate environment that is designed to cool economic activity and by extension bring down troubling inflation. We have global recession fears and the Chinese lack of demand has also weighed on oil prices.

The following chart reflects the price of Canadian oil priced in U.S. dollars. In Canadian dollars the price is in the $57 range.

cci graph
Source: Oilsandsmagazine.com

Here is a video that explains the spread (difference in prices) between Canadian oil and U.S. oil.

Higher oil prices are wonderful for top Canadian energy companies, mostly operating or active in the Canadian oil sands, but many of the producers also have global operations. They have already become free cash flow gushers. More investors, fund managers and retail investors are going along for the ride.

While the last year hasn’t exactly been spectacular (with the TSX Capped Index ETF XEG down 16%), I’m still up over 270% since I started writing about Canadian energy stocks in August of 2020.  That’s before we really dig into the juicy dividend raises and special dividends that poured into my brokerage account over the last few years.

energy stocks dividend graph
Source: YCharts.com

In October of 2020, on my blog, I had suggested that investors take a look at Canadian oil and gas stocks:

“The Canadian energy sector has been beaten up. Foreign investors have given up and so have many Canadian investors. Where there is incredible pessimism there can be incredible rewards. But there is certainly no guarantee that the pessimism for the Canadian energy patch is not deserved.
That said, it is also certainly possible that the pessimism has jumped the shark. There may be incredible value in the energy sector for Canadian investors.”

Canadian investors who went against the flow were rewarded handsomely, and it was not as big a risk as many would think. The macroeconomic and energy-specific story was quite simple. Continue Reading…

How Video Marketing can help achieve Financial Independence in the US/Canada

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Image Unsplash

By Andre Oentoro

Special to Financial Independence Hub

Financial independence is the state of supporting oneself and achieving financial goals without relying on others for income or financial assistance. In USA and Canada, managing finances gets more challenging since living costs are expensive.

Financial independence doesn’t only refer to individuals but also businesses. Some key aspects of financial freedom include debt management, financial stability, business ownership, risk management, and financial planning.

If you run a business, financial independence is necessary to ensure company growth, revenue, and long-lastingness. Video marketing is a good option to get financial independence in USA and Canada due to its unparalleled reach and effectiveness in engaging potential customers.

Here are some reasons video marketing is essential for achieving financial independence. Keep reading!

#1. Wider Audience Reach

The main reason YouTube and TikTok become major platforms today is that video is the king of content. We can’t deny that videos have become one of the most engaging forms of social media content today. 

They can deliver messages compellingly and reach a vast audience, allowing you to connect with potential customers, clients, or investors across the US and Canada. Nearly all social media platforms encourage users to create videos to grow their online presence.

#2. Boost Engagement and Conversion Rates

Videos offer a highly engaging and interactive medium to communicate your message. They combine visuals, audio, and storytelling elements, creating a more memorable and impactful experience for viewers. 

Engaging videos can captivate your target audience, generate interest, and encourage them to take desired actions, such as purchasing products or services. High-quality explainer videos, product demos, or customer reviews can effectively showcase the benefits of your product, resulting in higher conversion rates and revenue generation.

#3. Provide SEO advantages

Video content can positively impact your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Search engines increasingly prioritize video content in search results, allowing you to rank higher and attract more organic traffic to your website. 

Additionally, videos tend to increase engagement rates on your page, which is a good ranking factor for search engines. Optimize your videos by incorporating keyword-friendly titles, descriptions, tags, and hashtags. Also, add subtitles using video tools to make your videos available to anyone.

#4. Build Online Presence and Brand Awareness

Video marketing helps increase the visibility and brand awareness of your products, services, or personal brands. For example, you have a store of luxury shopping in Scottsdale, US. You can leverage video marketing to promote your luxury brands through online platforms. You can check your video marketing metrics and get valuable insights into your marketing efforts. Also, you can get some suggestions and recommendations to enhance and improve your content performance. Continue Reading…

Lean FIRE (as opposed to Fat Fire)

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By Alain Guillot

Special to Financial Independence Hub

I was told on Twitter that living on less than $24k per year is very frugal. Maybe it is, but I would like to explain how I live on less than $24K and I feel that I live like a king. 

(Editor’s Note: The Twitter discussion below followed Monday’s Hub post on by Myownadvisor blogger Mark Seed: Is Fat Fire realistic?)

First of all, my net worth right now is about $500,000. If we use the 4% rule, I should be able to withdraw $20,000K/year ($1,667/month) in perpetuity.  

How I live  

Map of Alain’s neighbourhood in Montreal

I live in one of the best neighborhoods in Montreal. It’s called “Le Plateau Mont Royal.” I have a beautiful park 10 minutes walking distance to the east, and another more beautiful park 10 minutes walking distance to the west, and I have the Old Port, 20 minutes walking distance to the south. 

 

 

Alain on Duluth Street

 

The street where I live is pedestrian only; it’s a cobblestone street.

Because I have been living in the same apartment for the past 12 years, my rent is low. $815/month. 

One of my small pleasures is to go downstairs, to a little park on the corner and drink a beer with my neighbors. (beer from the convenience store $2)

My apartment is what’s called a 3 ½. One bedroom, one living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I live on the second floor of a two floor building. 

 

 

The local supermarket

I do my groceries at a small family-owned supermarket where I have been shopping for 12 years and where I know the cashiers and the owners by first name basis. Because I follow a plant based diet, I eat 99% of the time fresh fruit and vegetables. My grocery bill hardly exceeds $10 per day ($300/month). I buy my fruits and vegetables daily. 

 

Continue Reading…

An answer to “Can you help me with my investments?”

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By Michael J. Wiener

Special to Financial Independence Hub

Occasionally, a friend or family member asks for help with their investments.  Whether or not I can help depends on many factors, and this article is my attempt to gather my thoughts for the common case where the person asking is dissatisfied with their bank or other seller of expensive mutual funds or segregated funds.  I’ve written this as though I’m speaking directly to someone who wants help, and I’ve added some details to an otherwise general discussion for concreteness.

Assessing the situation

I’ve taken a look at your portfolio.  You’ve got $600,000 invested, 60% in stocks, and 40% in bonds.  You pay $12,000 per year ($1000/month) in fees that were technically disclosed to you in some deliberately confusing documents, but you didn’t know that before I told you.  These fees are roughly half for the poor financial advice you’re getting, and half for running the poor mutual funds you own.

It’s pretty easy for a financial advisor to put your savings into some mutual funds, so the $500 per month you’re paying for financial advice should include some advice on life goals, taxes, insurance, and other financial areas, all specific to your particular circumstances.  Instead, when you talk to your advisor, he or she focuses on trying to get you to invest more money or tries to talk you out of withdrawing from your investments.

The mutual funds you own are called closet index funds.  An index is a list of all stocks or bonds in a given market.  An index fund is a fund that owns all the stocks or bonds in that index.  The advantage of index funds is that they don’t require any expensive professional management to choose stocks or bonds, so they can charge low fees.  Vanguard Canada has index funds that would cost you only $120 per month.  Your mutual funds are just pretending to be different from an index fund, but they charge you $500 per month to manage them on top of the other $500 per month for the poor financial advice you’re getting.

Other approaches

Before looking at whether I can help you with your investments, it’s worth looking at other options.  There are organizations that take their duty to their clients more seriously than the mutual fund sales team you have now. Continue Reading…

Is Fat FIRE realistic?

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By Mark Seed, myownadvisor

Special to Financial Independence Hub

 

Weekend Reading - is Fat FIRE Realistic
Image Source: Pexels, Gantas Vaičiulėnas

Is Fat FIRE realistic?

Before my answer to that question, for those outside the personal finance, devout FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) bubble, a primer based on what I know …

What is FIRE?

I would like to provide a universal definition from the personal finance community today but there isn’t one. There are, however, some general thoughts/themes when it comes to FIRE and those who follow the philosophy around it:

  • Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement related to extreme/aggressive savings rates and investment tactics that allow individuals to retire sooner than potentially any traditional budgeting or retirement planning approach might permit.
  • When it comes to savings rates: in some circles, by saving up to 70% of your annual income, some FIRE enthusiasts aim to retire early (and live off small portfolio withdrawals from their accumulated assets).
  • When it comes to portfolio withdrawals: in some circles, by withdrawing a small % of the accumulated assets (e.g., 4% of the portfolio), said FIRE enthusiasts may expect their portfolio to last a lifetime without fear of running out of money.

The FIRE movement – new term, old concept

The FIRE movement takes direct aim at some traditional retirement ages, such as age 60, 65 or even later on but there is no consensus on what is / is not a retirement age, of course.

The theory and movement goes: by dedicating the majority of your after-tax income to savings and specifically saving for retirement, well, you could “retire” sooner than most. Probably true.

From this perspective, FIRE is not a new concept even though the moniker is somewhat newish.

I’ve written multiple times about the FIRE movement and my thoughts on FIRE.

I’ll link to those thoughts here for additional reading as well.

I’m hardly anti-FIRE; this movement/approach/philosophy has always resonated how I live for the most part:

  • To live within your means or slightly below what you make as income.
  • To save early and often.
  • To avoid long-term debt that is not used for wealth generation.
  • To optimize your investing (i.e., keep your costs low and diversified, and avoid money managers).

Several FIRE retirement variations have emerged over the years to frame a particular lifestyle expectation that could come with FIRE. I’ll rank them in order of cashflow significance although these terms also vary based on the FIRE enthusiast you’re talking to:

1. Lean FIRE

As the first word suggests, lean is a strict adherence to a minimalist lifestyle. Many Lean FIRE adherents live on $25,000 per year, or less per year. Here are a few examples:

Jacob Fisker – Early Retirement Extreme. How he used to live on just $7,000 per year. Not a typo.

There is Jessica from Financial Mechanic, who spent less than $20,000 in 2020.

In more recent years, A Purple Life, wrote about a nomadic life earlier this year, living off less than $25K USD.

These are certainly jaw-dropping low numbers …

2. Barista FIRE

Not that you have to become a barista, rather, the term is used to highlight a combination of work-life balance that can be juggled – a form of semi-retirement if you will.

Barista FIRE is a type of semi-retirement whereby you can consider part-time work or work on your own terms, and still enjoy the benefits of some income and workplace benefits. (The term was coined as such since Starbucks offers benefits to part-time workers … something to consider for your semi-retirement plans!?) Continue Reading…