Articles

Recent wildfires in Jasper, Alberta and a new movie, Twisters, about chasing tornadoes both inspired questions from young inquisitors: How much do forest firefighters make, and can you be a professional storm chaser? The queries recalled a column on unusual occupations I wrote about two years ago, which deserves a revisit.

As you prepare for back-to-school season, you’ll likely notice the costs associated with returning to the classroom this year have increased. Until recently, inflation was at a forty-year high in Canada, impacting the costs of consumables like rent, food and books, as well as big-ticket items like tuition. And while the rate at which prices are rising has stabilized, the already-inflated costs are here to stay.

Along with 8.5 million other Windows PC users, I got hit with the Blue Screen of Death after the botched CrowdStrike update on 19 July 2024. I read that the damage from the various outages is measured in the billions of dollars, and I see that CrowdStrike (CRWD) is trading at about US$264 these days, down about 33% from the start of July. It feels like there must be an easy investing angle— any ideas?

If hearing the names Frosted Flakes, PEP, and Almond Joy elicits a glow of nostalgia, congratulations, you’re a Boomer! As the Boomers and Gen Xers shuffle into retirement, they’re not just getting misty-eyed over sugary breakfast cereals, they’re also feeling nostalgia for a bi-weekly paycheque. That’s been replaced by a lump of savings to be chipped away and that’s a whole different ball game.

The Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is a long-term savings vehicle offered to Canadians as a way to help save for a child’s continued education after high school. It is a tax shelter for investments for a beneficiary’s post-secondary education costs, and an RESP can be set up by any adult for a child, grandchild, nieces, nephews, themselves, or even family friends. In the following section we will highlight some of the basic rules around an RESP...