Welcome
Cashflows & Portfolios is a free resource providing a beginning-to-end guide for Do-It-Yourself investors. The journey begins with how to budget and generate cash flow; how best to invest that cashflow; onto using the nest egg to fund the next phase of life – retirement.
We (Mark and Joe) are personal finance bloggers with a combined experience of over 25 years in helping Canadians with their finances. Using this experience, we created this site to provide you with actionable steps towards your financial goals. Both of us are in our 40’s, and like many of you, we started from scratch. Using the steps and strategies outlined in this site has allowed us to build significant 7-figure portfolios that are leading the way to financial independence (more about us here).
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Featured articles
The Best Canadian Dividend ETFs
There are investors out there who prefer investing directly in dividend stocks – we get that. However, we also believe low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) can also have a place in a portfolio – including Canadian Dividend ETFs. What are the best Canadian dividend ETFs to own? Are there some advantages or disadvantages to owning dividend ETFs over other investments? Read on, find out, including…
Can You Have Too Much in Your RRSP?
Earlier this year, we wrote about everything you need to know about RRSPs including the RRSP contribution deadline. As part of our work with clients this year, when discussing the RRSP and any retirement withdrawal strategies, we tend to see some themes emerge. One big theme is: Can you have too much in your RRSP? The answer on that is: “it depends”! Read on in…
Latest articles
The Best Canadian Dividend ETFs
There are investors out there who prefer investing directly in dividend stocks – we get that. However, we also believe low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) can also have a place in a portfolio – including Canadian Dividend ETFs. What are the best Canadian dividend ETFs to own? Are there some advantages or disadvantages to owning dividend ETFs over other investments? Read on, find out, including…
What is a LIRA? Everything You Need to Know about LIRAs and LIFs
Let’s say you’re a lucky Canadian with a workplace pension. At some point, based on that workplace pension, you might own a LIRA and/or need to turn that LIRA into a LIF. What is a LIRA? What is a LIF? This is why you need this post: everything you need to know about LIRAs and LIFs as you enter retirement to be tax-savvy. What is…
Can You Have Too Much in Your RRSP?
Earlier this year, we wrote about everything you need to know about RRSPs including the RRSP contribution deadline. As part of our work with clients this year, when discussing the RRSP and any retirement withdrawal strategies, we tend to see some themes emerge. One big theme is: Can you have too much in your RRSP? The answer on that is: “it depends”! Read on in…
Preserving Wealth – Getting Retirement Income Planning Right
At Cashflows & Portfolios, we’re passionate about preserving wealth, and getting retirement income planning right. That includes being tax efficient as part of our own retirement drawdown plans and helping Canadians with that too. In recent months, we’ve published several important articles for anyone nearing retirement, thinking about early retirement and generally speaking, wanting to get their own retirement income plans organized and managed for…
Managing Sequence of Returns Risk in Retirement
It has been said that timing is everything. When it comes to drawing down your retirement savings – this is very true and any draw-down plan when the markets are tanking can be downright scary for any retiree. What is the sequence of returns risk? How might any sequence of returns risk impact your retirement plan? How do you go about managing sequence of returns risk?…
Retirement on a Lower Income using Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
Subscribers to our site will know we’ve covered a few retirement income case studies on our site (we’ll link to those a bit). This one, however, might be the most important one: Retirement on a Lower Income using Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Why? Well, retirement income planning may be easier when you have lots of money saved and many accounts to drawdown. Retirement income planning…
How to Start Investing for Beginners
How to start investing can be challenging for many and there is seemingly so much information to know. It’s also a challenge to figure out who to trust – so many people want your money! How can you start investing? Should you buy: funds or individual stocks? What accounts should you start investing with? Today’s post answers those questions and much more with references to…
Canadian Depositary Receipts (CDRs) – Buy US Stocks in Canadian Dollars!
As our site grows, we are fortunate to receive some questions from passionate readers/investors who subscribe to our free newsletters – including this new question about Canadian Depositary Receipts (CDRs). Thanks for subscribing! A reminder, if you haven’t already subscribed, please do and download our FREE cashflow spreadsheet to see where your money goes and see if it lines up with what you’d expect! Recently, we received…
What is Inflation and What are the Best Investments for Rising Inflation?
Some say inflation is easy to understand but the impacts from it are anything but easy – especially the impact on your investment portfolio. So let’s dig in a little – What is inflation and what are the best investments for rising inflation? How are we at Cashflows & Portfolios fighting inflation with our investment portfolios? Read on to find out and of course, comment…
3 Ways to Prepare for the Coming Stock Market Correction
The stock market can be a dangerous place – for some investors. What should you do when there is a stock market correction? What should you not do when there is a stock market correction? Read on for our take and words of wisdom in 3 Ways to Prepare for the Coming Stock Market Correction. Stock market history can be the best teacher “The wonderful…