Financial Library

Your Retirement Plan: Staying The Course

During the past several months, a few clients have expressed concerns about world events and the potential impact on their investments. Concerns cited have included the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, rising interest rates, inflation, recession, and weak economic news and so on.

If you have questions about current economic news this is a good opportunity to refocus on the long-term picture. The first question to ask yourself is what are your long-term financial goals? What are your objectives over the next 5-10 years, and have they changed?

New Portfolio Strategies Software

We'll ask everyone to bear with us in October as Portfolio Strategies will be moving to a new back office system called Viefund. This won't change anything with your investments but it will change the way us advisors do trades. This will mean some new forms and more client-friendly systems for doing business. I expect that there will be a pretty big learning curve for Patrycja, Natalie and me, but we are looking forward to using the new software! Viefund has better electronic systems for doing trades and will have nicer reports for clients.

Pros and Cons of Annuities

With the turbulent times we have been experiencing in the markets, more people are considering annuities to ensure a certain income in their retirement years. It might not suit everybody to put some of their funds into annuities, and there is always the question of how much do you invest in them. There is no clear-cut answer, and you'll need to weigh your personal circumstances to see how annuities can fit into your retirement plans.

Financial Self-Care

Self-care is a popular buzzword, and it's an important one. It refers to the deliberate choice of thoughts and actions that are good for your mental and physical wellbeing. Financial self-care means practicing this with money matters to reduce your stress and increase your optimism. It's about making concrete plans, setting goals, and consistently practicing a mindset of possibility - that moves you into place of calm empowerment where you can achieve financial well-being.

Our Cross-Country Summer Trip

We had a great August this year with a big drive from Calgary to Southern Ontario. We got to spend some time with friends along the way in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Once we got East of Winnipeg, we were exploring new territory and got to see a lot of places we'd never been to like Thunder Bay and Sudbury, Ontario. We visited some of Natalie's cousins in the Collingwood area and spent a few days in the GTA. We even got to visit Portfolio Strategies Head Office in downtown Toronto.

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