What are investment returns and how are they calculated? How is investment performance measured and what does it involve? What level of returns is necessary to recoup a loss within a reasonable timeframe? What is sequence of returns risk and when should one be concerned about it? In this post, we're looking at stock market returns. There are both diagrams and an interactive tool that you can play with yourself. It's a wordy post, but I didn't want to split it up. Let's dig in! Investment Returns Defined Investment returns are the money over and above the capital you invested. Stock Market Ret ..read more

I thought it'd be nice to put together a quick summer reading list. Whether you’re lounging on a beach, by a local lake, or just relaxing in your backyard, hopefully, there's something of interest here. This is not an exhaustive list, just some books I’ve enjoyed in recent years. You'll notice most of these books are not directly related to the process of investing or personal finance – and that's deliberate! None of these books will transform your life or investments in isolation. But all of them bring something to the table. Being a good investor is about more than being able to read a P&am ..read more

Okay, so we've done a couple of data visualizations so far. Here we studied the relative size of all major global exchanges. Here we did the relative market caps of major North American indices constituents. This time, we're going to look at the NASDAQ-100. Specifically, the relative price returns of the constituents from the beginning of 2024 until the date this was published (roughly six months). It's an arbitary choice of timescale. There are no prizes for guessing which constituent has the highest returns year-to-date! You'll notice price is normalized for all constituents at the beginnin ..read more

In part 1 of this series, we covered things you should be aware of before leaving Canada. In this part, we'll go through what happens once you've left. Once You've Left Withholding Taxes This catches a lot of folks by surprise. Even when you become a non-resident for tax purposes in Canada, you will still be taxed on Canadian-source income even if you don't live in Canada. Income might include benefits such as OAS and CPP, dividends received in Canada (even in foreign investments), RRSP/RRIF payments, and even things like royalties. The CRA has a non-resident tax calculator here to estimate y ..read more

This is unlikely to work well on mobile – sorry. I helped you visualize the global stock market landscape in the last post. If you want some more technical details on how I built the below, you can go read about it there too. In this post, we'll look at three major North American indexes: the S&P 500, the NASDAQ 100, and the TSX 60. The following is not an Ishihara test gone wrong (and apologies to anyone who's colour-blind). It's a representation of these indexes using market cap-sized bubbles and circle-packing. Don't get too lost in the exact numbers here. This is a snapshot of the mar ..read more

I'm a visual thinker. I think that's pretty common. So, it's not so strange that I make visual representations of investing. This is the first in a series of three posts around visualizing the markets (there may be more, but I've only coded three so far). You should probably subscribe so you don't miss them. ? Below are the major global exchanges visualized in a bubble chart using a technique called circle-packing. You can click on the image below, and it'll whisk you away to an interactive version. Clicking on a region will zoom in on the underlying exchanges (it's neat, you should go try it ..read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s no secret (especially if you follow me on X) that I’m a big fan of funds like BlackRock’s XEQT. Being the market, rather than beating the market, makes a lot of financial and mathematical sense. But what is Blackrock XEQT invested in? Sure, you can download the raw data yourself from BlackRock’s website, but what if some nice person already did that for you? Enter XEQT Explorer XEQT Explorer is a Google Looker business intelligence app that I put together. You can access it directly from this link. You may need to be logged-in to a Google account to use it. What c ..read more

Reading Time: 6 minutes A first home purchase is a significant milestone for many Canadians, representing stability, security, and a sense of achievement. To make first homeownership more accessible, the Canadian government introduced the First Home Savings Account (FHSA) program in April 2023. This blog article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand the Canadian First Home Savings Account, its benefits, eligibility criteria, and how it can help Canadians achieve their dream of owning their first home. We will also round up the latest news on which financial institutions curre ..read more

Reading Time: 6 minutes Times are tough for many Canadians. One area where you can make a significant impact on your budget is to save on groceries. Groceries are a necessity, but with some smart planning and shopping techniques, you can save a substantial amount without compromising on quality or nutrition. In this blog post, we’ll explore practical tips, strategies and apps that will help you save money on food in Canada. A Growing Problem According to this research report from Dalhousie University, an average Canadian family of four could be spending $16,288.41 just on groceries in 2023. Th ..read more

Reading Time: 6 minutes Inflation is a term that often makes headlines and creeps into our daily conversations about the economy and money. It’s a concept that impacts our purchasing power, investments, and overall financial well-being. But what exactly is inflation, and why is it so important to understand? In this blog post, we’ll demystify inflation, explore its causes and effects, and discuss strategies for managing it. By the end, you should understand more about inflation in Canada!. What Is Inflation? Inflation is the sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services i ..read more