Estate planning can have a lasting impact on your family – though not as much as not doing it.

Diversification is the process of helping reduce risk by investing in several different types of individual funds or securities and works hand in hand with asset allocation.

Your broker works for you – not for the insurance company.

Are you covered against the primary critical illnesses, such as cancer, heart attack and stroke that can cause emotional and financial distress?

Cash management is the understanding and analysis of what you earn, what is deducted (e.g. taxes), what you spend and what you save.

Most of us will live a long time in retirement – possibly as many as 20 years, without generating income through employment.

Using a broker doesn't cost you more. Often it can cost you less because brokers have knowledge of the insurance market and the ability to negotiate competitive premiums on your behalf.

Debt affords us the opportunity to benefit from things that we may not be able to purchase in the short term, such as a home.

You will need 4 to 10 times the amount you paid for your house to enjoy a comfortable retirement.

Maintaining your quality of life after the diagnosis of a critical illness and dealing with financial commitments can cause hardship for you and your families. Critical illness insurance can protect your family's future.

The objective of investing is to receive a future flow of funds larger than the funds originally invested.

There are three ways to manage money: Market timing, security selection, and asset allocation. The first two, in our view, involve too much luck and risk.

Without proper retirement planning, you can be faced with a significant cut in your income at retirement, requiring dramatic changes to the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed.

Motor vehicle insurance has various elements including property damage coverage, liability coverage including coverage for the death or injury of a third party, collision coverage and comprehensive coverage.

A home is one of the largest purchases most people make during their lifetime. Therefore, homeowners' insurance protection is critical and strongly recommended.

Making a Major Purchase

“It is good to have money and the things money can buy, but it is good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy.”

George Horace Lorimer

“Money is of no value; it cannot spend itself. All depends on the skill of the spender.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Making a major purchase is like undertaking any major project and requires planning and goal setting prior to the purchase.

First, what is a major purchase? We define this as any purchase which costs more than 10% of your gross annual income (or 5% of your net assets) and will include home renovations, purchasing a car, some types of travel and purchasing some items such electronic equipment and furniture.

Since these activities often require a significant outlay of your money, there are some key decisions to be made.

Is this a pressing need or something that we want – can it wait or must we have it now?
Over time, will the item appreciate (go up in value) or depreciate (decrease in value)?
How will we fund the purchase – savings or borrowings?
What is the total cost of the purchase – up front and continuing?
Which item should you actually buy – which offers the best value for money?
Other than price, what else is important to you?
Where can you get advice that you can rely on?

Major purchase decisions will stay with you for a long time (physically and financially), so you need to invest the time and research into ensuring that the decisions you make are the right ones.

Making a Major Purchase

More than you want and less than you need