With Labour Day (or Labor Day for my American friends/listeners… *smile*) how behind us, it’s time to “Hit The Books” and get back into our post-summer routines. A recent e-mail from a listener prompted this edition – the e-mail said “Enjoying the podcast, you talk about the being the author of the international best-seller “Rich is a State of Mind” – but you’ve never told us what the book is about”. Point taken. In this episode I answer the listener’s question, including a live clip from a recent event with a group of financial professionals as well as my favourite […]

Have you ever stared off into the distance and wondered how far away the horizon is? No, seriously – how far away is the horizon? If you knew, do you think you might want to expand it? Can you make your horizon bigger?Larger? Further away? Does it have anything to do with investing? What about a personal finance horizon? Is there a personal development horizon? These and several additional questions will be answered in this episode. You’ll hear me discussing this concept with the audience at a recent live event. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, “thank you” […]

It was over 40 years ago that Paul Simon urged “Stan” to “Make a new plan” in his song “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. Did Stan ever make a new plan? I have no idea, but I do know this – when it comes to his personal finances – it’s unlikely that Stan ever had a plan in the first place. I can hear you, “yeah, yeah, yeah…. plan, plan, plan… is it really that important?” I think it is. In this episode we’re going to talk simple basics about a financial plan and included in the message is […]

When I speak at client events for financial professionals – every single event is different – tailored to the audience demographic each firm has. That said, each client event ends the same way, with me asking the audience to consider the question “Was it all worth it?”. It’s the most important question we are likely to ever ask ourselves. Was it worth doing uncomfortable things? Was it worth changing one’s behaviour? Was it worth following a financial plan? Was it worth setting goals? Was it worth working with/building a relationship with a financial professional? You’ll hear me discussing this concept […]

As someone who spends a great deal of time speaking to Canadians about the concepts of personal finance and how to create a successful financial future, I’m often asked what is “the big secret” for personal financial success. They are often disappointed when I tell them there is no big secret, no magic pill, and no quick fix that will bring them financial success. What I ask them next is: “How bad do you want it?” I find it interesting that every time someone tells me they want to be financially successful, they can never define it in the terms […]