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Financial Library

Inflation & Your Financial Strategy

In a December 2021 poll, 87% of Canadians surveyed reported that the rising price of everyday goods was their top source of anxiety1. The last period that caused this level of financial concern for Canadians was the 1990s2, when inflation reached a high of 5.5%. Today, it sits at about 4.8%, primarily due to transportation and supply chain issues and a sharp rise in energy prices. The associated increase in cost is passed along to Canadian consumers, who are concerned about how to pay for it.

Where's the Money?

When Dora died on August 1, 2018, most of her assets passed by Will to her adult children and were therefore subject to probate. $250,000 was in GICs and a fairly rapid transfer of this money to her heirs was expected. But that was not the case. They had to wait until March 2020 for it. That's right, almost two years.

Being Thrifty Can Be Fun

A year ago, Faye and David decided to get smart around saving money. "We both love the idea of retirement," says Faye. "But we could never seem to close the gap between what we earn and what it costs to run our life to increase our savings." As the couple approached their fifties, they decided to find innovative ways to save. "One of the ways we could do that was to spend less on the things we needed," says David. "We love a challenge, so we decided that we wouldn't make any major purchases for a year without comparison shopping or a money-saving coupon."

It won't happen to me. Yeah, right.

Ross and Janis lived a typical Canadian life. They were married, had two children, Melissa and Kyle, and both worked outside the home.

An avid golfer, Ross also went on fishing trips with friends and helped coach his son's hockey team. Janis played the piano, enjoyed bike rides with her friends, and was treasurer for her daughter's soccer team. They played in a mixed curling league.

Time: Your Most Important Planning Tool

Time is one of those daily realities that we usually take for granted. But when it comes to building wealth and managing investments, it is tremendously important. How you view, manage, and interact with "time" could deeply impact your financial success more than any other variable that you personally control.

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