Articles

Affordability of homeownership continues to be a major concern, writes Peter Watson. Many people dream of home ownership; however, the reality of owning a home does not depend on dreams but on simple arithmetic. Some mistakenly think real estate values operate in a similar fashion to that of the stock market. Comparing house values to … Homeownership Affordability is at Major Concern

The demand for food banks has increased sharply and that underlies the significant financial challenges many Canadians face, writes Peter Watson. More families find it difficult to make ends meet. It seems everything is more expensive. Homeownership costs have risen largely because of the increase in the cost of borrowing and therefore mortgage payments are … Does food bank usage mean that our financial system is broken?

Blaming others is not a financial solution for personal financial problems, writes Peter Watson. There have been two the public examples by the federal government of blaming others for financial hardship. It is no secret that many Canadians are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. Everything seems so expensive, and many cannot keep … Beware of the Financial Blame Game

Investors purchasing mutual funds use an investment advisor almost two thirds of the time. When purchasing ETFs, only one third use an investment advisor, writes Peter Watson. This information is from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada’s annual investor survey that was recently released. Why are so few investors using the services of a financial … Fewer Investors Use a Financial Advisor

Beware of the “shiny object” syndrome, writes Peter Watson. One of the most difficult challenges of investors is to ignore the “noise” that often surrounds investing. Much of that noise is based on short-term results. Investing is done for long periods of time. Short term approaches to investing in my opinion are just speculation. Guessing … Avoid Investing in Stocks Based on Short Term Success

The most significant challenge for some over the next few years is making their mortgage payments, writes Peter Watson. Many have already experienced the effect of higher interest rates. The lucky ones have locked in a specific mortgage rate that has not come due, but that day is coming. There are several realities to homeownership. … Mortgage Payments Are Becoming Challenging