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
Could You Retire if the Global Financial Crisis Happened Again?
Could you retire if the Global Financial Crisis happened again? The Global Financial Crisis turned a few retirement dreams into investing nightmares. Stocks plunged in value during this period and evaporated the retirement savings of many, that took decades to build. This crisis further exacerbated other looming financial problems: there were plummeting home values, stagnating wages, and the crisis triggered a decade+ era of essentially…
RRSP Deadline and Contribution Limit
Before we start, as quick reminder, the RRSP contribution deadline for 2023 is March 1, 2023. Read on! There are a lot of RRSP questions going around, especially during RRSP season. This is why we have this comprehensive post so you can find everything you need to know about the RRSP in one spot! What is an RRSP and how does it work? What is…
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 in 2023 – and who are those providers? Read…
Latest articles
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…
TFSA Contribution Room and Limit, Penalties, and Everything in Between for 2022
The Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a gift to all Canadians. I mean, who doesn’t love tax-free money or better still, money that grows tax-free?! I know we do – especially when you count for the fairly large TFSA contribution limit/room now available (more below). How much can you contribute to the TFSA? How much growth can you expect from the TFSA? Can you…
How to Become The Money Master (Author Q&A and Giveaway!)
A new year brings new opportunities to grow and improve for all of us. In The Money Master, author and speaker Sandy Yong shares her personal experiences with money, interviews a few financial experts, and provides some actionable tools to show you how you can: Develop a millionaire mindset Develop healthy and wealth-building habits that stick Balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s wants or dreams How…
Cashflows and Portfolios Best of 2021
Happy Holidays everyone! Thanks for being part of our journey at Cashflows & Portfolios. Welcome to our best of 2021 where we will highlight some milestones and top posts from the last year. Our mission on this site is something quite unique in Canada. We’re not running this site to share any personal finance journey perspectives like many other blogs. In fact, we don’t share…
Top Year-End Tax Season Tips
While you might be focused on other things this holiday season, the end of the calendar year is also a great time to get recharged and reorganized before another year approaches. Here are some of our favourite year-end tax season tips to save money now and build wealth later. Year-End Tax Season Tips 1. Receipts matter. Be aware an audit from our Canada Revenue Agency…
Is it Possible to Retire at 32 with a $1M Portfolio?
Advocates and passionate followers of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement have been ripped by some financial professionals for years now because financial planning is now harder than ever, and there is no magic bullet to any finance independence journey. So, we figured we’d answer this question with some math for today’s post to fuel that discussion: Is it possible to retire at 32…