Mary Hagerman Podcast
Money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it sure can help. In this podcast, I bring you expert advice on how to achieve not only wealth …. But happiness too!
I shares tips and experiences from my quest to help my clients be prosperous and happy. Over more than 30 years I have worked with thousands of clients and countless experts, all looking to live a rich and fulfilling life. In my podcast interviews, I share my stories and wisdom, along with advice from the many experts I have encountered along the way.
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify.
Épisode 19: Les 5 meilleurs conseils de Mary pour atteindre la prospérité et le bonheur
Version française
Le chemin vers la prospérité et le bonheur n’est pas une excursion d’une journée, c’est le voyage d’une vie. Chaque jour, nous devons nous rappeler pourquoi ce voyage est si important et comment nous pouvons le réussir.
Je veux vous donner mes 5 meilleurs conseils pour atteindre la prospérité et le bonheur. On les retrouve tous dans mon livre L’investisseur ceinture noire. En fait, je vous donne plus de 5 conseils dans mon livre et de nombreuses histoires qui aident à illustrer mes propos.
Pour ce premier épisode « bilingue » de mon balado, j'ai voulu garder mon message court et puissant… avec une dose d'humour.
Voici mes 5 conseils:
- Ayez des conversations sur l'argent régulièrement en couple! [12:58]
- Soyez et restez organisé [14:26]
- Faites un plan financier [15:38]
- Ayez une pratique de pleine conscience (réduction du stress). [16:52]
- Suivez les principes de base de l’investissement [19:13]
- Bonus: [21:40]
Merci de votre attention
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Episode 18: The benefits of volunteering. You get back more than you give.
The holiday season is a time of year when our hearts are especially open to those in need.
There's a myriad of ways that we can help this world be a better place and help others live happier lives. In fact, all year round, opportunities exist to volunteer. For a few hours, a few days, or maybe more.
In the spirit of prosperity and happiness, I wanted to devote this podcast to the benefits of volunteering to everyone.
We reached out to the Montreal Volunteer Bureau to speak with consultant Caroline Tom, who has a lot of great information for people who are looking to get involved in volunteering.
- The benefits of volunteering for people who wish to volunteer. [02:01]
- The types of volunteering that exist and how it can fit into a lifetime activity. [03:49]
- How Caroline decided she wanted to work with the Volunteer Bureau. [05:54]
- What steps people will need to take if they want to start volunteering. [07:31]
- Some of the organizations and people who contact the bureau when they want to volunteer for a cause. [08:58]
- Which organizations people can reach out to if they want to consider volunteering. [13:06]
You can visit the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal here for more information.
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
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Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 17: Year-end tax tips. How to find free money.
It’s the countdown to the New Year and you never want to leave any stones unturned ….Especially if you’re looking for “Free Money”.
Yes, “free money” does exist and in this podcast episode I talk with our financial planner Yannick Rivest who takes us on a treasure hunt of places to look and boxes to check, to help make sure you don’t pay more taxes than you need to.
I work closely with Yannick to help guide all of our clients on the path to prosperity and happiness. His 15 years of experience in the finance industry and his engaging personality make him a valuable addition to our team.
We cover a lot of ground in this chat but you can reach out to us for our tax planning checklist in the show notes if you want to make sure you remember the highlights of our discussion.
- Generating tax loss sells for investors. [02:32]
- Avoiding incurring a superficial loss when selling for a tax loss. [04:31]
- TFSA contributions and withdrawals. [05:30]
- Converting an RRSP to a RRIF and making a final RRSP contribution. [07:00]
- Reminder of the deadline to make an RRSP contribution for 2023. [08:27]
- Ways that investors can save for the purchase of their first home, as previously discussed during episode 13.[09:20]
- Explaining the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction. [10:51]
- The home renovation tax credit for multi-generational families. [12:07]
- An overview on the RESP and how you can get free money to save for your children's education. [13:14]
- Claiming medical expenses on your tax return. [16:28]
- How charitable giving, as referenced in our episode with Diana Mao, can lead to tax benefits for investors. [18:16]
- Key tips for business owners. [19:17]
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
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Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 16: What does prosperous and happy mean to you? Our podcast guests answer the question.
At the end of every podcast, I ask all my guests the same question, “what does prosperous and happy mean to you” ?
As we head into the end of the year, I wanted to share the answers of many of the guests who I’ve chatted with since we launched the podcast in July of 2022.
You can hear for yourself that Prosperous and Happy means different things to different people, but almost always revolves around a feeling of gratitude for something that brings joy to our life.
Regardless of whether we were talking about financial planning, the markets or a potential divorce, guests always had a great answer to my final question on THEIR definition of prosperous and happy.
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
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Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 15: Give and feel good! How to give more for less.
It seems like every day we wake up to reminders in the news that the world needs our help. I am always looking for ways to help people reap the benefits of charitable giving.
In this past year, we have supported many worthy causes, through my personal foundation, with the assistance of clients and also in collaboration with Raymond James colleagues, both locally and across Canada.
I’ve published an article on how you can incorporate tax-efficient charitable giving into your personal and estate planning and in todays podcast, I’m delighted to speak with Diana Mao, Associate Vice President, Charitable Giving Program at Solus Trust Company. She works directly with me and my clients to provide planned giving expertise with a focus on strategic charitable giving. Diana is also responsible for leading Raymond James’ client philanthropy program, a donor advised fund program in partnership with Raymond James Canada Foundation.
Diana helps our clients develop their charitable intentions while incorporating tax effective donation strategies as part of an overall wealth plan.
- How and where people are presently donating their money. [02:45]
- The giving gap between generations.[04:06]
- Tax incentives provided to encourage people to make a charitable donation. [07:15]
- Setting up a personal charitable giving foundation. [10:10]
- The process and benefits of a personal foundation.[14:02]
- The feel good side of giving and educational benefits of a family foundation. [17:28]
- The rules of dispersing funds from the foundation. [20:43]
You can visit Mary's charitable giving foundation page here.
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and on Facebook
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 14: Healthspan vs. Lifespan
It’s no secret that as we age, health issues become more frequent. As the name of this podcast suggests, “Prosperous and Happy” also includes the notion of quality of life, in addition to having a healthy relationship with money.
More and more people are talking about “health span” as opposed to “lifespan” and the impact that healthcare expenses have on financial and estate planning.
So, let’s define exactly what the two terms mean.
Health span is the average number of healthy years between birth and death, also known as quality of life or health-adjusted life expectancy.
Lifespan is the average expected number of years between birth and death, or life expectancy (LE).
In this episode of The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast, I chat with a key member of our team: our insurance expert, Annie Bélanger.
Annie has over 30 years of experience working with insurance companies and large financial institutions, providing clients with innovative, tax efficient insurance.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Administration from the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s degree in Taxation from Université de Sherbrooke. Annie and I work closely together, studying the unique needs of each client to identify the best insurance strategies for their specific situation.
- What will affect people's budgets in their retirement years. [02:24]
- At what stage during retirement will healthcare expenses become an issue. [03:35]
- The differences in health between men and women. [05:14]
- Health expenses as people age. [09:08]
- The financial tools that are available to help people plan for these expenses, such as long-term care insurance. [12:40]
- A comparison between life insurance and long-term care insurance and how they impact estate value. [16:36]
Thank you for listening.
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify.
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group.
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 13: How to Finance Your First Home
Buying a house is the biggest purchase most people will ever make.
When I started out as a financial advisor and financial planner, I was helping many of my clients invest and save for their first home.
Now, I’m helping their children do the same thing and it is still as exciting for me now as it was then to hear them say, “Mary, I have an accepted offer on a house.”
Of course, the landscape has changed, real estate is very expensive and, for now, interest rates are quite high. But there are programs to help people save and reach their dreams.
In this podcast, I’ll be talking about what’s available right now to help first-time home buyers and I couldn’t think of a better person to help me out on this subject than my podcast director and formidable assistant: Nick Saranczuk.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Nick bought his first home and using the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP). [02:25]
- How saving in a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) differs from the HBP. [05:56]
- An overview on the new First Home Savings Account (FHSA) for investors who want to buy their first house. [09:57]
- How to maximize the tax advantages of all programs. [11:35]
- Choosing the right investment profile. [14:09]
- What happens if investors over-contribute to the FHSA. [16:21]
For more information on the FHSA, you can contact Mary.
Thank you for listening.
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify.
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group.
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and on Facebook.
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 12: Inflation... ... Disinflation????
Since the beginning of 2022 headline business news has been all about inflation. In the aftermath of COVID and especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global inflation and rising interest rates have played havoc with the markets, both stock and bond.
Of course, this too shall pass and we’re already seeing an improvement in inflation numbers that have come down from their peak of 9% last June to around 4% at the time of recording of this podcast on June 27th, 2023.
So where are we headed from here? No one know for sure, but Simona Mocuta, Chief Economist of State Street Global Advisors, has some very interesting thoughts on the subject.
She recently dropped by our Montreal office and I had such an engaging conversation with her, that I asked her to be a guest on my podcast, so clients and friends could hear her insightful views on inflation.
Here’s what we discuss:
- Defining inflation, hyperinflation, deflation and disinflation. [03:24]
- How the disinflation period will affect the markets. [10:25]
- What factors does the Fed look for when they are evaluating inflation? [13:03]
- What this could mean for people who have debts? [18:19]
- How easy is it to obtain good data in order to evaluate inflation? [21:00]
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up-to-date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and on Facebook
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 11: Every year millions of consumers fall victim to cybercrime.
The internet has become one of the most popular tools used to commit fraud, and criminals are becoming more and more sophisticated with their hacking techniques.
Having good cyber hygiene is a must, if you want to stay safe.
In this podcast, I’ll be chatting with Raymond James senior manager of IT, Dave Iverson.
Dave has been working in IT security for over 25 years and when it comes to technology, governance, risk and compliance, he has seen a lot!
It was hard, but I asked him to come up with a list of five or six items that we should really focus on to protect ourselves from online fraud.
- Password best practices [02:33]
- The importance of multi-factor authentication. [05:43]
- Avoiding phishing scams by text message, phone calls and email [07:08]
- Protecting your personal information over social media [12:48]
- Having a secure internet connection using a virtual private network (VPN). [18:18]
- How to ensure your information is protected while making online purchases. [24:27]
- Steps to follow in the event your data has been compromised [27:49]
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up-to-date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and on Facebook
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 10: Thinking of Getting a Divorce? – Here is Some Preliminary Information You Should Know.
If life was a fairytale, we’d all live “happily ever after” with the partner of our dreams. But reality is a different thing. In fact, about half of marriages fail and the statistics are even worse for second marriages.
When couples choose to end their marriage or partnership, the financial consequences can be worse than the nastiest bear market. It’s imperative to proceed with caution and get good advice. That’s why I reached out to two experienced lawyers to ask them how they work with clients who are looking to get divorced.
Ashley Trainor, an associate at Devine Schachter Polak, is a trial lawyer specializing in family law and successions
Tamar Ajamian is a partner also at Devine Schachter Polak; her areas of expertise are family law and estate matters.
- The initial contact that comes from someone who is looking to get divorced.
- What to expect the conversation to be once you are in the lawyer’s office.
- Family patrimony – assets and liabilities.
- Spousal support and alimony.
- Child support and special expenses.
- Separations vs. divorce.
- An overview of the impact on your estate documents if you are seeking a divorce.
- Possibility of reconciliation? Offer the option of mediation?
We cover the following topics :
- 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 – 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. [07:40]
- 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲. [13:30]
- 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬. [15:15]
- 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞. [22:25]
- 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. [23:41]
- 𝐀𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞. [24:12]
To reach out to Devine Schachter Polak for a confidential chat, please visit https://familylaw.ca/.
Thank you for listening
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group
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Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca
Episode 9: Money and Marriage – Discussions You Need to Have With Your Partner
The markets might go up and down, but if you’re patient and don’t sell your investments, you probably won’t lose money. On the other hand, a divorce is almost always forever. When couples break up, the financial consequences can be far worse than the nastiest bear market.
That’s why my guest today, Andrew Sofin has such an important job. Andrew is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Couples & Family Therapist. He attended Queen's University for undergraduate studies and then completed graduate studies at Antioch University (USA) specializing in couple and family therapy.
Andrew is the founder of Couples Retreat at Ocean Coral and is in private practice in Montreal, Canada.
Whether you’re married, in a couple or just recovering from a relationship, I encourage you to listen to our 34 minute chat.
We discuss:
- How Andrew sees money problems manifesting in the relationship. [03:15]
- If it’s a man versus woman situation where often it’s the man who controls the money. [04:45]
- How people learn about money from their families and how they carry those values through their lives. [07:15]
- Where issues may start to appear with couples who may move in different directions. [09:36]
- When couples should engage in conversations about their finances. [14:27]
- Recommendation to couples who are in the early stages of their relationship. [16:53]
- What makes a healthy couple in terms of finances.[19:48]
- The mature couple and “Grey Divorce” and how it relates to financial issues. [21:59]
- How conversations and financial plans need to be updated over time as things change. [24:48]
- What keeps a solid relationship. [26:20]
- How Andrew sees the younger generation address relationships, power and control. [29:10]
Thank you so much for tuning in and please make sure to subscribe to “the Prosperous and Happy Life” on Spotify, Captivate or Google Podcasts, we will be releasing new episodes the last Friday of every month.
You can also sign up there for our free monthly newsletter on my website; www.maryhagerman.ca
And in the meantime, you can follow-me on LinkedIn and Facebook; @maryhagerman. The link is in the description box below.
Episode 8: Building Mental Resilience – Working for the Red Cross in Ukraine.
One year ago from the taping of this episode, our worlds were rocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The markets dropped and inflation spiked. Yes, it has hurt our wallets and portfolios, but what it has done to the lives of the people on the ground of this senseless war is heart-wrenching.
In this episode, I talk with a great humanitarian. Violaine Des Rosiers has been working to make this world a better place, all of her adult life. The list is long, but she has worked with various humanitarian organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as with the International Bureau for Children's Rights. She has also been the head of one of Canada's largest private foundations.
In 2018, Violaine received the Marcel Côté Award from the Public Policy Forum of Canada, which recognizes the contribution of Quebec leaders who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the field of public policy and civic discourse.
Now, Violaine is head of the Red Cross operations in Ukraine and that’s where I reached her today.
I’m joined in this interview by my podcast producer, Nicholas Saranczuk, who is of Ukrainian descent.
- A look at how Violaine ended up in Ukraine. [03:04]
- What a day looks like, while working for the Red Cross. [05:36]
- How Violaine became interested in humanitarian work. [13:04]
- How she preserves her mental resilience while on the job. [16:22]
- What brings her a sense of fulfillment in her work. [20:12]
- Once the war is over, what will her work look like going forward. [26:24]
- How listeners can help the people of Ukraine. [29:07]
Thank you so much for tuning in. Please make sure to subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life on Spotify, Captivate or Google Podcasts. We will be releasing new episodes on the last Friday of every month.
Thank you for listening.
You can help support the Red Cross operations in Ukraine by donating to our special “Love not War” initiative, organized through my private foundation, which will be matching all donations throughout the month of March. Details are on my website: www.maryhagerman.ca
Subscribe to The Prosperous and Happy Life podcast on Spotify.
Keep up to date with Mary by subscribing to her newsletter on The Mary Hagerman Group.
Follow Mary Hagerman on LinkedIn and on Facebook.
Do not hesitate to contact us at mary.hagerman@rymondjames.ca.
Episode 7: Making your last wishes - Four things to take care of before you die (or become incapacitated).
Benjamin Franklin famously said, “it’s impossible to be sure of anything except death and taxes.” Or maybe you have heard this profound statement, “from the moment we are born, we begin to die”. Yes I know, sounds pretty gloomy, but there’s no getting around the fact that the subject of death elicits a lot of emotion. If you’ve heard me speak or read my book; The Black Belt Investor, you know that emotions and money do not make for a great combination; well emotions, money and death can be a toxic cocktail.
Todays podcast will help you prepare for the inevitable and make life a lot easier for you and your heirs.
I’ve enlisted the expert advice of Marissa Lydynia. She provides estate, trust and incapacity planning services to Quebec-based clients of Raymond James. She also manages several accounts for which Raymond James is appointed as liquidator, trustee, mandatary and power of attorney. Additionally, she offers support services to individuals appointed in such capacities.
Marissa uses a practical but sensitive approach to handling all trust- and estate-related matters, as she understands the emotional toll these topics can have on clients and their loved ones. She uses her in-depth knowledge of trust, estate and tax law to provide financial advisors and their clients with services tailored to their specific needs.
Prior to joining Raymond James, Marissa worked for almost 10 years in private practice at a well-known Montreal law firm where she specialized in wills and estate law. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Montreal.
For many years, Marissa was the co-chair of the Lord Reading Law Society’s Young Bar Committee, and she continues to sit on its board. She is also involved with various charitable organizations in Montreal.
Marissa enjoys volunteering in the community where she works and lives. She sits on the governing board of her sons’ school, and serves on several committees that offer opportunities to parents of young children to engage with each other and the community.
Marissa's key points on preparing your estate include:
- Making sure your documents are up to date. [04:02]
- Choosing the right person to act as your mandatary and/or liquidator. [13:12]
- Ensuring your medical wishes are known to your family. [21:09]
- Keeping a central location for all your documents. [25:46]
Episode 6: Ho Ho Ho – 2023 Forecast – Find out who will be naughty and who will be nice!
This podcast allows me to speak to experts in a variety of fields, but today’s guest is an internationally recognized, might I say "iconic" figure, the one and only Saint Nicholas. He has just finished his 2022 world tour and reached out to me to discuss the state of the world.
Following a very troubling world tour, Santa wants to know what 2023 has in store.
Mary Christmas shares her views on:
- Inflation [02:23]
- Interest rates [03:48]
- Recession fears [05:20]
- The war in Ukraine [06:10]
- ESG Investing [07:08]
- Investment styles [07:38]
- The 60-40 portfolio [09:45]
Episode 5: The Four Pillars of Happiness - Tips for cultivating happiness at work and in life.
I have been a firm believer in the benefits of mindfulness for over 40 years now and in my book, “The Black Belt Investor”, I talk about how the 2008 – 2009 financial crisis was a turning point in my meditation practice….I finally became a regular meditator, to help deal with all my stress.
Since that time, I have cultivated many friendships in the consciousness space. A few years ago, I had the good fortune of meeting todays podcast guest Carl Lemieux, the founder of the leadership and well-being consultancy “Mindsmatter”.
Carl Lemieux is an author, workplace psychologist, management consultant (EMBA), executive coach, psychotherapist (OPQ), and mindfulness teacher (MBSR).
Over his 35-year career, Carl has supported the design of corporate strategy and complex transformation initiatives, as well as coached and developed thousands of leaders and professionals. He is also co-author of a new book: “Vertical Growth”.
- Carl tells his story of how he quit the corporate life. [03:13]
- Authenticity and intention as a means of finding happiness. [05:57]
- How self-awareness and self-regulation is the starting point of Vertical Growth.[10:42]
- Algorithms of the mind and mental programming. [13:44]
- How to develop mindfulness in a realistic accessible way. [17:38]
- The importance of the quality of our relationships to our overall well-being. [25:44]
Listeners can reach Carl Lemieux on his website: https://www.mindsmatter.com. Carl's book, "Vertical Growth", can be purchased on Amazon.
Episode 4: Tips for surviving a bear market - Experienced guidance for prosperity and happiness!
I am fortunate to have some really good people to help me do my job. If you listened to podcast number two entitled “Where are we now?” you heard from Nadeem Kassam, Chief Investment Officer with Raymond James Canada, he’s part of my investment committee and then there was Sami Nathoo our financial planner, from our first podcast on rising interest rates and how that affects your financial plan.
In this episode, you will meet my podcast producer and top-notch assistant; Nicholas Saranczuk, as we chat about surviving a bear market and lessons from my book; The Black Belt Investor.
- What were the worst bear markets for Mary over her more than 30 years managing money? [02:34]
- Gilbert’s story and the dot-com bubble. [03:45]
- Lessons learned after the bubble burst. [06:09]
- The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and how it compares to the pandemic and present bear market. [07:09]
- Mary's tips for helping clients survive and thrive during bear markets. [10:22]
Episode 3: Why ETFs? Answering a Young Investor's Questions About Investing with Exchange Traded Funds.
As young people embark on a lifetime of saving and investing, they need to understand the role of ETFs in the investment landscape. I had the opportunity over the summer to employ Meghan McCarthy, a third-year finance student at Bishop’s University, as an intern. She told me she was curious about ETFs and didn’t really understand how they differed from mutual funds.
I thought it would be a great opportunity to interview Meghan on my podcast and have her ask me her questions about ETFs and investing.
- What is the difference between an ETF and mutual funds? (2:25)
- If mutual funds don’t outperform, why not use ETFs instead? (8:00)
- Is it possible for a mutual fund to compare itself to an index or does that make it an ETF? (9:55)
- Why would you suggest for someone to use an advisor to build an ETF portfolio if it is already a managed fund?” (13:36)
Episode 2: Where are we now? Market cycles, depressions, recessions, corrections and more.
Over the course of my over thirty years of managing money, I have seen numerous market cycles, upturns and downturns.
Each one has its own unique story.
In this episode of my podcast: The Prosperous and Happy Life, I deconstruct the story of the pandemic bull and bear market rollercoaster with my guest Nadeem Kassam; MBA, CFA.
This is definitely a unique story worth telling and we review the sequence of events in simple language, from the beginning of 2020 to August 2022.
In this episode, we dive into:
- How do we define a bear market, correction and recession? (04:47)
- The pandemic shock to markets (05:53)
- How did interest rates decrease even lower during the pandemic? (07:35)
- The shortest bear market in history (08:59)
- Unprecedented market stimulus (10:20)
- The shortest bull market in history (11:45)
- What was your take on the markets before the war started in Ukraine? (14:50)
- Inflation raises it’s ugly head (18:06)
- What everyone wants to know now: are we in a recession? (25:20)
- What does prosperity and happiness mean to you? (31:00)
Episode 1: Change of Plans? How Interest Rates Affect Your Financial Plan.
I am very excited to announce the launch of our monthly podcast; The Prosperous and Happy Life, which goes live the last Friday of every month.
This first episode is entitled “Change of plans? How rising interest rates affect your financial planning.” In this conversation with our financial planner Sami Nathoo, we discuss:
- How does an increase in interest rates affect our financial plan?
- How can we reduce the impact of higher interest rates?
- What are some strategies that people can implement now to be proactive?