financial advisor Archives

2025 Investment Year in Review and 2026 Outlook

Post published:January 9, 2026

As we close out 2025, investors find themselves in the kind of environment we all hope for but rarely experience. Global equity markets delivered exceptionally strong results while fixed income preserved capital and reduced volatility exactly as intended. From a long-term planning perspective, this is ideal—strong returns spread across diversified portfolios create exactly the environment disciplined investors are positioned to benefit from. This year's success reinforces a fundamental truth: strong markets reveal whether your investment philosophy is sound, while weak markets reveal whether you truly believe it. Markets spent considerable time at all-time highs, reminding us that this is precisely what we should expect from asset classes with positive long-term returns. The question isn't "how long will this last?" but rather "is my portfolio still aligned with my goals?"—and for disciplined investors, the answer continues to point toward staying the course.

Looking Back: 2025 Financial Insights Year-End Recap

Post published:December 15, 2025

As we close out 2025, it's worth pausing to reflect on the financial principles that matter most. This year's insights focused on investment philosophy, retirement planning options, and helping you avoid strategies that look appealing but rarely deliver results. The most important lesson? Your only meaningful benchmark is whether you're on track to fund the life you've planned for—everything else is just comparison that pulls you off course. Perhaps the most striking revelation came from research analyzing over 4,000 Canadian financial advisors who systematically underperformed simple, evidence-based strategies by approximately 3% annually. Not because of conflicts of interest, but because of genuinely misguided beliefs about investing. The lesson is clear: wealth isn't built through excitement, complexity, or trying to outsmart markets. It's built through discipline, diversification, low costs, tax efficiency, and staying committed to a well-crafted strategy even when markets are volatile.

Personal Financial Goals vs. Market Benchmarks: Why Your Investment Strategy Needs a Different Scorecard

Post published:November 17, 2025

Comparing your portfolio to market indices like the S&P 500 might seem like the right way to measure success, but it's actually a distraction from what truly matters. Here's the problem: the definition of "the market" constantly shifts based on whatever's performing best at the moment. Over the last decade, it's been U.S. stocks. Before that, Canadian stocks led the way. This moving target makes for a poor benchmark because unless your goals, timeline, and risk tolerance perfectly match that shifting definition, the comparison tells you very little about your actual progress. The only benchmark that counts is whether you're on track to meet your personal financial goals—like retiring when you want to, funding the experiences that matter most, and having the flexibility to enjoy life without financial stress. This is what we call tracking error regret: that uneasy feeling that you're "falling behind" when your portfolio doesn't mirror an index or match your neighbor's success story. When you chase someone else's scorecard, you risk making changes that feel smart in the moment but work against your long-term plan. Remember, you can beat an index but still fail to meet your financial goals. The real question isn't how you're doing compared to the market—it's whether your money is helping you live the life you've planned for.

Why Canadians Love Real Estate as an Investment Vehicle (Even When the Numbers Do Not Add Up)

Post published:September 12, 2025

Your emotional attachment to bricks and mortar could cost you your retirement. While Canadian real estate feels safe and familiar, the math tells a different story. After accounting for maintenance, taxes, and transaction costs, Canadian housing has underperformed the stock market by nearly 4% annually for over three decades. Many investment properties now have cap rates near zero – meaning your only hope for returns is continued price appreciation. That's not investing. That's gambling with your family's financial future. There's a smarter way to invest in real estate without the headaches, hidden costs, and concentration risk of direct property ownership. While your friends are celebrating paper gains at dinner parties, savvy investors are building wealth through REITs and diversified portfolios that have historically delivered 8-10% annual returns. Discover why evidence-based investing beats emotional real estate decisions, and learn the simple framework that could save you hundreds of thousands in missed opportunities.

DIY Investing: Is It Really for You?

Post published:August 18, 2025

Many do-it-yourself investors don't need an advisor—they enjoy the process and successfully meet their needs over time. But there's a third group: investors who began managing their own portfolios, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but are now questioning whether they're still on the right track. Complexity has crept in. Time is limited. Markets feel more confusing. They're not failing, but they're starting to wonder whether they're optimizing what they're doing and beginning to feel overwhelmed. Dr. William Bernstein argues that only a tiny fraction of people possess the four rare qualities needed for long-term DIY investing success. But even when someone checks all the boxes, the biggest limiting factor is often time, energy, and focus. Most investors underperform the very investments they hold—not because of bad products, but because of poorly timed decisions driven by emotions. If you're questioning your DIY approach or feeling overwhelmed by investment decisions, this might be the perspective you need.

The Financial Philosophy Gap: Why Most Advisors Underperform by 3% Annually

Post published:July 14, 2025

I recently had a conversation with another advisory firm – one that a colleague suggested I connect with because, as they put it, "you two have very similar investment philosophies." Intrigued by this comparison, I was eager to dive deeper into what that actually meant. During our discussion, I learned that this firm does indeed espouse many of the same core beliefs I hold: the importance of evidence-based investing, the value of diversification, and the wisdom of tax-efficient portfolio construction. On the surface, we seemed perfectly aligned. But when we got into the specifics of their actual portfolio implementation, a striking contradiction emerged. While half of their clients’ portfolios consisted of low-cost, evidence-based, tax-efficient investments – exactly what you'd expect from someone who claims to believe in these principles – the other half was devoted to picking individual stocks, building concentrated positions, and constructing what could only be described as under-diversified portfolios. This revelation left me with a fundamental question: How much of a "philosophy" is it really when your execution directly contradicts your stated beliefs? The conversation highlighted a critical distinction that I believe many investors – and even some financial advisors – fail to recognize: the difference between having an investment philosophy and having an investment approach. If you truly believe in your philosophy, shouldn't everything else flow naturally from that foundation? Shouldn't your entire process, from research to implementation, be a coherent expression of those core beliefs? This experience reminded me why consistency between philosophy and execution isn't just an academic exercise – it's the foundation of trustworthy investment management.

Play It Again, Steve – Timeless Financial Tip #9: Beware of Big Banks’ Conflicted Financial Advice

Post published:October 5, 2023

There’s only so much you and I can do about life’s many surprises. Some things just happen, beyond our control. Fortunately, to make the most of your hard-earned wealth, there is one huge and timeless best practice you can control: You can (and should) avoid seeking unbiased financial advice from biased sales staff. How do you separate solid investment advice from self-interested promotions in disguise? Here’s a handy shortcut: Are the investments coming from your friendly neighborhood banker? If so, please read the fine print—twice—before buying in. Due to inherently conflicting compensation incentives, most banks’ investment offerings are optimized to feed their profit margin, at your expense. Read on to understand how and why bank employees may not be your best source of independent financial advice.

Think Smart Podcast – Advisor Series with Financial Advisor Steve Lowrie

Post published:December 5, 2022

Recently, I sat down with Rob McClelland to join an episode of the Think Smart with TMFG podcast. Rob is with McClelland Financial Group of Assante Capital Management. We had a great conversation and I had the opportunity to describe my core business values and strategies on investing including... click through to find out.

What Is the Cost of a Financial Advisor?

Post published:November 22, 2022

If organizing your financial interests has become an endless game of whack-a-mole, the cost of a financial advisor might be worth it to help you tame the tangle. Remember that it's better to focus on the value that the cost of a financial advisor brings you. "Free Advice" can cost you. Fee-based advice allows you to become the boss of your financial interests. Also, the cost of an independent financial advisor should cover far more than merely helping you buy or sell this or that security in your investment portfolio. Determine what the long-term value of financial advice is worth to you. Check out these insights that you can use to assess the value of independent financial advice vs. just looking at the cost of a financial advisor.