With 2023 in full swing that means we’ve been inundated by mountains of opinions, charts and predictions on how the economy in 2023 will fair. So this week we wade through all of the information we've been receiving and distill it down to something usable for you. We will cover the expectations facing the bonds and stocks found in your funds and portfolio’s and how we feel the coming recession will impact Canadians, spoiler alert: less doom and more gloom! If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

Thirty Helen’s agree 57.6% of the time that the average Canadian misunderstands their finances 40% of the time, so it’s best to order a new credit card to make life easier. Wait what are we talking about again, oh, that’s right. This week we talk about Darrell Huff’s classic book, “How to Lie with Statistics.” Learn how to better protect your wallet by understanding all of the tricks of the marketing trade used to influence your decision making and to accept what they say as cold hard facts. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Four out of five Dogtors agree that it's best to keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

We have a love hate relationship with mortgages, they allow us to buy a house (or 4), but they hang over us like a dark cloud of interest payments and a 20+ year obligation. This week we talk about the in's and out's of mortgages in this already crazy time of 2023. Is fixed or variable better? What is amortization, how does it impact your finances and so much more. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada Useful Resources: Christine's book "The Debt-Free Lifestyle": https://a.co/d/h7n3kll 

We're back for another year of podcasting about personal finance in Canada! This week we have our gratuitous talk about New Year's resolutions and how they can actually work and become a positive impact in your life and finances. Learn how to prioritize your goals, deal with the post-Christmas credit card shock and other tips to help you start the year 2023 off right. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

It’s our last episode of 2022 and this week we talk all about Christmas spending in Canada! That’s right we go over where your hard earned dollars go each holiday season and what experts are predicting for this year. We also go over the true meaning of Christmas, presents, or rather how we are buying less of them and spending more time with those we love, bad for the economy but good for the heart. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada Useful Resources: Stats Canada 2018 report on Canadian’s Christmas spending: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/dai/smr08/2018/smr08_228_2018 Deloitte’s 2022 Holiday Retail Outlook: https://www2.deloitte.com/ca/en/pages/strategy/articles/holiday-retail-outlook-2022.html

This week we go through the topics that come up most often with our clients this time of year. That’s right its time for holiday cheer, tax loss selling, RRSP top ups, Christmas shopping, TFSA contribution room increases and so many other jolly year end matters that we need to tie up with a bow before 2023 comes rolling in. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

Enough is enough, or is it not enough?!? This week we trek through "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel and talk about how we were raised around money impacts our future, determining the filters we use to determine what is enough money or happiness in our lives and how what we want changes as time goes on. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

It's our one-year anniversary episode. This week we dig deep into Ray Dalio's understanding of the Big Debt Cycle and find out how learning from the past can help us prepare for the future, or really the present the way things are going right now. We tackle the good days, the mad rush to by "anything" others tell us to, the peak and on through to the depression, fiscal intervention and how we can get back to a sense of economic normalcy once again, all with our own patented* Canadian perspective. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada Useful Resources: Where to get the free (well the cost of your email address) book we referenced by Ray Dalio: https://economicprinciples.org/ Canada's 2021 federal election results: https://www.elections.ca/enr/help/national_e.htm

This week we talk all about the Bank of Canada and how it makes the big decisions which impact your life. From monetary policy, interest rates to inflation protection we peel back the curtain of mystery and see how the great fiscal machine actually operates. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada Useful Resources: Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report October 2022: https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2022/10/mpr-2022-10-26/ Our renewed monetary policy framework (Dec 2021 – 2021-2026):  https://www.bankofcanada.ca/core-functions/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-framework-renewal/ Framework for Conducting Monetary Policy at Low Interest Rates Dec 2015 (aka Christine’s most and least favorite 4 page PDF): www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/framework-conducting-monetary-policy.pdf 

Our life is the culmination of the habits that we adopt. This week we talk about the power of habits and how they can shape not only your life but your financial future as well. Drawing from Christine's "Why is this baby still up at 4am book club," we look into the advice from "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg and "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and see how they can help us. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada

Christine's "Why is this baby still up at 4am Book Club" continues as she delves into the Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley. This week we talk about how often the rich don't use their wealth to impress others but instead fulfill their goal of personal financial freedom. It is the little things we do and don't do that help us follow the author's seven common denominators among those who've  successfully built their own wealth and financial freedom. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com  Keep the conversation going on our Facebook Page and Group: https://www.facebook.com/itspersonalfinancecanada Useful Resources: Two good articles from the author's blog: https://themillionairenextdoor.com/2010/08/how-wealthy-should-you-be/ & https://themillionairenextdoor.com/2009/12/the-low-profile-millionaire-next-door/

It's time for another edition of Christine's "Why is this baby still up at 4am Book Club." This week we review the core concepts of the personal finance classic "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosak. We see if these ideas can still work for you today and how find out how much of the book is applicable for Canadians. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

This week we talk about all of the in's and out's of having a Group RRSP plan and how it can benefit you and your retirement. Everything from qualification, matched contributions and how employers can use then to better support their staff is covered, along with a few cautions to be aware of. But fear not as we pull back the cloak of mystery surrounding Group RRSP’s. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

This week we continue our look into different investment styles and the most famous investors behind them. Everything from Contrarian, Growth and Adaptive investing are looked at along with how they have been successful. We then cap it off by talking about how you can determine which style (or combination of) could be best for you. If you want to join Christine's "Why is this baby still up at 4am Book Club" you can follow along by reading "Principles of Dealing With the Changing World Order" BY Ray Dalio! If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

Over the years different people have develope different approaches to investing, but all of them have one goal, to help you get the most out of your money. This week we take our first of two looks into some the the most popluar investors in the past century and understand how their varied stragegies helped them become successful, and how thier underlying ideas can help us today. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

The concept of Capital Appreciation is one that tends to be overlooked for many other "flashy" signposts in the investing world but it has a dramatic impact on whether or not you will actually grow your money. This week we talk about the impact of capital appreciation on your investmetns, be it stocks, funds, real esate or even small business ownership and how you can make sure you are getting a good return for your money. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

The desire for freedom, flexibility and financial independence is greater than ever and it shows no signs of stopping while the world keep turning. This week we talk all about FIRE Movement aka the Financially Independent and Retire Early Movement see how these philosophies can help us manage not only our personal finances but how we live our everyday lives. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

Is your retirement number an age, the number on your ivnestment statment or something else? This week we talk about all of the moving parts that go into determining your retirement number and how Chrisinte helps her clients find their happy number. This isn't a one time calculation as the stock marketn inflation and a host of other factors will impact your comfort during retirement If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com Useful Resources: FP Canada Projection Assumption Guidelines for 2022: https://fpcanada.ca/docs/default-source/standards/2022-pag---english.pdf 

Your income is the most important number in your budget – all of your lifestyle, ability to achieve goals stems from it. This week we talk about how your career is the most important part of your budget and how you can maximize it to better your finances and personal life. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com

You wouldn't think that goals and lifestyle could be at odds in your life, but when your goals and lifestyle disagree with each other you'll find yourself stuck in life. This week we talk about the balance needed between our short-term goals and our overall lifestyle that we are trying to cultivate. We also talk about how both goals and lifestyle can work with and against each other is we don't know what we truly want in life. If you live in British Columbia, let us help you take care of the people you love and visit braunfinancial.com