We’re joined this episode by Dan Bortolotti—Portfolio Manager at PWL Capital, creator of the hugely popular “Canadian Couch Potato” blog, author of “Reboot Your Portfolio: 9 Steps to Successful Investing with ETFs” and co-host of the “Rational Reminder” podcast.

In this episode, Dan and Dave dive deep into index investing, covering everything from active vs. passive investing styles to tips for DIY investors, asset allocation strategies, the pros and cons of all-in-one ETFs in Canada and much more. There’s a lot to unpack, but Dan and Dave make it all easy to understand.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone serious about DIY investing—tune in now!

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Intro & Disclaimer

(00:00:55) Intro to Dan Bortolotti

(00:02:04) The Origins of the “Canadian Couch Potato”

(00:06:56) What is an Index Fund

(00:08:52) Why Don't Most Active Managers Outperform the Market?

(00:15:12) How Dave's Dad Can Beat Professional Money Managers

(00:16:57) Group Retirement Plans

(00:19:25) Mutual Fund Underperformance

(00:22:42) Should People Speculate with 5-10% of Their Portfolio?

(00:26:31) The Financial-Planning-First Model

(00:35:52) How to Construct An Index-Fund Portfolio

(00:34:57) Risk Tolerance and Asset Allocation

(00:42:50) When Stocks & Bonds Both Went Down

(00:44:56) What Goes Into a Financial Plan?

(00:46:34) Get Life Insurance!

(00:47:59) There is No "Optimal" Financial Plan

(00:49:52) When to Take CPP

(00:51:21) The Risks of Helping Kids/Grandkids with Down Payments

(00:53:52) All-in-One ETFs

(00:58:16) Withholding Taxes on US Stocks

(01:02:27) Online Investment Platform Recommendations

(01:04:26) Conclusion

Our guest this episode is Ron Butler—a 30-year veteran of the mortgage industry and owner of Butler Mortgage. Some of you may recognize Ron from his social media rants or his “Angry Mortgage Podcast” where he uses colourful language and profanity to express his opinions (and share his wisdom!) on the world of real estate and mortgages.

In this episode, Dave and Ron discuss all things real estate including the pros/cons of using a mortgage broker, where they think interest rates are headed, whether people should use fixed- or variable-rate mortgages and much, much more.

Enjoy this entertaining and insightful episode.

Show Notes

00:00 – Intro & Disclaimer

00:57 – Intro to Ron Butler

03:20 – Pros/Cons of Using a Mortgage Broker

05:29 – Canada vs. USA Use of Mortgage Brokers

08:19 –  Where Ron Thinks Interest Rates Are Headed

09:47 –  Divergence Between Haves vs. Have-Not

11:48 – Fixed vs. Variable Mortgage Rates

13:54 – Parents Helping with Down Payments

18:02 –  The Financialization of Housing

20:07 – Where Are Housing Prices Headed?

25:51 – The Small-Condo Market

30:09 – 30-Year Amortizations

32:10 – High Transaction Costs in Real Estate

34:46 – Renovations

39:37 – Big vs. Small Homes

43:23 – High Housing Costs Causing People to Leave Canada

46:10 –  The Housing-Affordability Crisis

51:42 – Rapid-Fire Questions

57:16 – An F-Bomb-Filled Ron Rant

59:03 – Conclusion

Our guest this episode is Richard Coffin—better known to many as "The Plain Bagel." Richard is a CFA and CFP professional working as a Portfolio Manager in Ottawa. He has nearly 1 million subscribers on his YouTube channel where he creates entertaining and educational videos on finance, investing and economics.

In this episode, Dave and Richard discuss the rise of "Finfluencers" in today’s social-media-driven world and explore the fascinating landscape of behavioural finance. They cover everything from the origins of “The Plain Bagel,” to the pros and cons of getting financial advice online, to the biases that affect us all and much, much more.

Enjoy this fantastic episode featuring two of Canada’s top financial educators.

Show Notes

00:00:00 – Intro & Disclaimer

00:00:55 – Intro to Richard Coffin

00:03:28 – Origin of “The Plain Bagel”

00:08:13 – Richard’s Work & Educational Background

00:12:13 – The Rise of Finfluencers

00:16:34 –   The Laws Around Giving Financial Advice Online

00:20:14 –  How to Evaluate Online Financial Advice

00:21:24 – Trusting Finfluencers More than Wall Street

00:25:20 – The “Beginner” Finfluencer

00:28:58 – Investing Courses

00:38:42 – Trustworthy Canadian Finfluencers

00:44:41 – It’s Easy to Fake Wealth Online

00:47:57 –  YouTubers Being Paid to Promote Stocks

00:55:27 – Behavioural Finance & Loss Aversion

01:02:56 – Confirmation Bias

01:06:35 –  The Skills Behind Creating Content People Enjoy Watching

01:08:46 – Recency Bias

01:13:41 – Framing Bias

01:19:02 – Conclusion