May 2020 Update
The Spring team kicks off each calendar year with a post we call What We Want for You in… *current year.* For 2020, we wanted you to have practical examples of design thinking - the implementation of last year’s theme - so that you have some of the tools you need to...
Variable Income Case Study: Terri
We’re back with another case study, this time with “Terri.” Terri is 42 years old, single, and works as a pharmaceutical rep earning commission income that varies wildly from month to month. With variable income, it’s hard to save money without knowing when the next...
Integrated Investing by Bonnie Foley-Wong Book Review
I had the pleasure of sitting in on a talk by Bonnie Foley-Wong of Pique Ventures on the concept of Integrated Investing for a small group of other advice-only planners. I now have a huge crush on her because of her passion for making a difference in the world through...
Tender Money Conversations
Tender Money Conversations You may have found, like me, that your ability and desire to read anything except for the back of the cereal box has diminished significantly. That’s okay - the written word will still be ready for you when you’re ready for it. I happened...
April 2020 Update
Has it only been a month since our last update? It feels like several decades have passed. The sheer volume of information we’ve received and amount of change that has occurred since the beginning of March 2020 has easily outstripped what we would have experienced in...
Line of Credit Debt Case Study
It’s time for another financial planning case study, drawn from real life work with our clients here at Spring, but smudged and blended artistically to keep you from recognizing your next-door neighbour with line of credit debt. As always, these case studies are...
April’s Great Reads
COVID-19 Top Reads As we write this, we’re in the middle of what feels an awful lot like a world-changing event. By the time you see these COVID-19 top reads, we might be already experiencing some kind of recovery, thanks to our doctors and nurses working the front...
CERB and COVID-19 Cash Flow Clinic
Note: For more information on the coronavirus and how it relates to your finances, see our dedicated COVID-19 resource page. Cash Flow Clinic Transcript Kathryn Mandelcorn (KM) 0:16 Good afternoon everybody, everybody’s admitted in, we are recording this call. So...
March 2020 Update
We hope this newsletter finds you as well as you can possibly be. It’s only been a month since our last regular newsletter, and so much has changed. Things are changing on a daily basis now, and there’s a great deal of uncertainty in the air. At Spring Plans, we have...
Financial Markets & COVID-19
Note: For more information on the coronavirus and how it relates to your finances, see our dedicated COVID-19 resource page. Financial Markets and COVID-19 Q&A Transcript 0:00 Thanks for joining this call to review what’s going on in the financial markets, and...
Retired Widow: Case Study
We’re delighted to present you with another financial planning case study as part of this year’s theme. This one was drawn from a mash-up of typical clients and scrubbed of identifying detail, because privacy. Remember, we’re writing these case studies to illustrate...
Book Review: Living Your Dream by Larry Wilson
Until I read Living Your Dream by Larry Wilson, I hadn’t found an all-purpose personal finance 101 book that delivers practical information in enough depth and breadth that I could responsibly recommend it. I’m happy to say that this streak has ended, and would...
March’s Top Three Reads
As we wait for winter to loosen her icy grip on our hearts and sidewalks, let’s take a moment to be grateful for the extraordinary amount of excellent information available to read...indoors. (Except if you live on the West Coast and have been enjoying spring since...
February 2020 Update
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that we spent a few days at the end of January and beginning of February reviewing our 2019 and thinking about our 2020. We were lucky to be able to bring together seven of our team members from across the country for strategy,...
Renovation, Kids, and Cash Flow: Case Study
Every year, we give some thought to what we want for you in the year ahead. We proceed to spend the rest of the year riffing on that subject, hoping that multiple perspectives on a singular concept will provide the means for you to integrate it into your lives. This...
February’s Top Three Reads
There’s a common thread to Sandi’s top reads this month (and it’s not just the fact that she read them on the way to our Spring Retreat): disability insurance, moving in together, and annuities are all topics that too many people make too many assumptions about,...
What We Want for You in 2020
Have you ever heard someone say, “yeah, well - as soon as you get the financial plan, it’s out of date, so why bother?” We have. More times than we can count (although, interestingly, we hear it from other financial professionals more often than from clients). It’s...
January 2020 Update
Happy 2020! Happy Year of the Rat! Happy EVERYTHING! If you’ve been reading along with us for a few years, you’ll already know that Julia is of the opinion that the time between January 1st and the Lunar New Year (January 25 this year) is our “practice run”. It can...
Big Shiny Numbers 2020
Welcome to 2020! Each new year comes with a new set of numbers and this year - which is either the last year of an old decade or the first year of a new one, depending on who you’re talking to - is no different. Here are some Big Shiny Numbers for Canadians this...
Book Review: Your Digital Undertaker by Sharon Hartung
I thought when I picked up Your Digital Undertaker: Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada, that I’d learn more about how digital assets are treated after death, how to plan properly for my own digital assets and to guide clients in planning for theirs, and...
January’s Top Three Reads
If you - like someone else on the Spring team :coughSandicough: - recently welcomed a dog into your home and are now suddenly A Person Who Has Time for Podcasts, our reading list this month has a beautiful series about Fred Rogers that’s perfect to start the new...
December 2019 Update
Your Spring Plans newsletter arrives a little earlier than usual this month because we are very hopeful that you have the opportunity to walk away from your email and enjoy some relaxation in the last few weeks of the year. Of course, we know you’ll want a few things...
Your Design Thinking Action Plan
All year long, your Spring Plans team has been using the concept of Design Thinking to contemplate many different aspects of your personal finances. Why Design Thinking? The answer has remained the same all year long: because we want you to have permission to design...
December’s Top Three Holiday Reads
Happy December, Spring Reader! Apparently, “Nothing says ‘Time for Therapy’ more than the last few months of the year”, and Dr. Moira Somers has some great tips for how you and your family can protect your mental health this holiday season. If you’re a dedicated...
November 2019 Update
The last few weeks of 2019 are upon us! We hope you’re feeling less stressed and more in control of your life and your finances this season than you’ve ever felt before. If not, please know that you’re not alone and our cash flow planning team is here to help you...
Design Thinking: Post-Retirement Income
Congratulations! You made it to retirement, and are living off of a combination of personal savings, company pension, and government benefits ...and here’s where most of the retirement income planning resources stop, as if retirement is a finish line instead of a...
Holiday Financial Gifts
It’s time for the second annual holiday financial gift guide from your Spring Planning team! What follows are gift ideas for the financially inclined, but before you start making your list, check it twice¹ to make sure the recipient receives it as the kind, generous...
Whatever You Do, Don’t Retire Alone (And Other Helpful Advice)
(This article is reposted with the permission of the author. It was originally published here.) Let me introduce you to my three imaginary friends: Rory, Amy, and Rose. Earning only $35,000 a year at most, each has managed to sock away 5% of that income every year,...
November’s Top Three Favourite Reads
What is the difference between “automatic” and “automated” finances? How are the retirement planning rules and tools different if you’ve been earning a lower than average income? Why is there all this administration… and all these taxes… when your spouse passes away?...
Book Review: Retirement Income for Life by Fred Vettese
When our retirement income planning clients tell us they’ve read Retirement Income for Life, or one of Fred Vettese’s other books on retiring in Canada, I usually get very excited. No, it’s not because we’re huge book nerds at Spring and love talking to people who’ve...