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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DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO RETIRE?
If financial projections and retirement readiness are what you are after, we using some professional financial software (software that we are using for our own plans in fact), and making it available to you in our affordable and value-packed membership options. With this powerful software, we provide a detailed report(s) that answers questions specific to your financial situation and assumptions such as:
- Do I have enough to retire?
- When can I retire?
- Will I run out of money in retirement?
- What is the most I can spend in retirement?
- How much of a financial legacy can I leave behind?
- Should I take CPP at age 65 or 70?
- How do I minimize OAS clawback?
- Which account (and when) should I withdraw from for the highest tax efficiency and estate value?
Featured articles
TFSA vs. RRSP – Why the TFSA wins
A quick search will highlight lots of articles that debate whether it is beneficial to invest inside the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or use the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) for retirement. We’ll be blunt for today’s post: while it can “depend” we believe the TFSA wins over the RRSP for a few key reasons that every adult Canadian should know about. Read on why…
Is now the time to change your investing plan?
This has been a wild investing year to date, no doubt. But maybe this time it’s different? Your diamond hands holding some crypto assets might have turned to stone. Stocks are getting hammered, even some beloved dividend paying stocks are well down in price. Bonds offer no place to hide. Real estate is correcting too. Cash is getting eaten by inflation. Is now the time…
When Beat the TSX (BTSX) works and when it doesn’t!
In previous posts on our site, we highlighted the investing concepts behind Beat the TSX (BTSX) to juice your retirement income. In today’s post, we’ll highlight the Beat the TSX (BTSX) strategy, when it works, when it doesn’t, and just as importantly chat with a passionate, early-retiree that not only follows this strategy but writes about it extensively as a subject matter expert! Let’s get…
Latest articles
Does the 4% Retirement Withdrawal Rule Work with Higher Inflation?
The cost of living continues to rise – at the fastest pace in decades. If you want to retire in the coming years, you might be wondering about the impact of inflation on the longevity of your portfolio. Can your portfolio survive higher inflation? When it comes to the 4% rule, a reader wonders, does the 4% rule work with higher inflation (like what’s happening…
Do you need an RRSP if you have a Defined Benefit Pension?
Whether or not you have a defined benefit pension plan, the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) offers two huge benefits in our book: A tax deduction from RRSP contributions made today, and Tax-deferred growth as long as assets stay inside the RRSP account. These are very helpful benefits and tools in your retirement planning toolbox. However, for some Canadians, they might want to consider avoiding…
How You Can Take Advantage of Inflation
For years, after the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), inflation stayed low – until now. Are there ways to take advantage of inflation? Is some inflation good? How might you invest as inflation roars ahead? Read on to learn about our takes, what we’re doing, and why. Understanding inflation and inflation in context Generally speaking, inflation is the general rise in prices over a specific period…
Best GIC Rates in Canada
As you well know, to build wealth, it takes more than savings to compound away to grow your portfolio into something meaningful. That said, keeping cash savings secure or guaranteed in some cases can be very smart. What are GICs? What are the best GICs to consider and why? What are the best GIC rates in Canada and those providers? Read on to learn more about…
How a Part-Time Job Can Save Your Retirement
As you well know from this site, we love case studies! We believe retirement or semi-retirement drawdown case studies can help people see themselves in such examples – offering investors guidance, time for reflection, and new opportunities to explore. This case study today is about how a part-time job can save your retirement. We believe such a post is very timely since we know many…
Find your Balance with Andrew Hallam
Thanks to years of frugal living and disciplined investing, speaker and author Andrew Hallam is now helping you find your Balance. Years ago, while working as a schoolteacher, Andrew published Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School, a guide to achieving financial independence. It remains (in our opinion), one of the best personal finance books published and a must-read…
When the RRSP actually beats the TFSA
In a recent post, we told you many reasons why the TFSA “wins” over the RRSP. Well, there are some cases in our opinion when the RRSP actually beats the TFSA as an investment account. Read on why the RRSP actually beats the TFSA for a few reasons in this updated edition of the TFSA vs. RRSP debate. The TFSA wins over the RRSP for…
Should you use an All-Weather Portfolio?
Stock market volatility can and will happen, which can really spook many investors. To help with that, should you use an all-weather portfolio for changing market conditions? Would an all-weather portfolio be best long-term? How would I build an all-weather portfolio using Canadian ETFs? Read on and find out our take, including the pros and cons of this all-weather investing approach. The portfolio is designed…
Avoid These 5 Big RRSP Mistakes
The Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) is also one of our favourite accounts to build long-term wealth with, and the same should apply to you. On that note, it’s also an account that can trigger huge opportunity costs if not used wisely. For today’s post, we’ll share how you can avoid these 5 big RRSP mistakes – in your asset accumulation and asset decumulation years….
Avoid These 5 Big TFSA Mistakes
The Tax-Free-Savings Account (TFSA) is one of our favourite accounts to build long-term wealth with. It’s also an account that can trigger huge opportunity costs if not used wisely. For today’s post, we’ll share how you can avoid these 5 big TFSA mistakes – in your asset accumulation and asset decumulation years. Mistake #1 – Not using the TFSA for investing We love the account. We hate…