Welcome to the first “May” edition of weekly reading in 2021!
I’m hopeful that the weather changes coincide with some changes to the coronavirus landscape as we get closer to flipping the curve in the right direction.
Ontario came out with some welcome news this week (assuming things actually go to plan) that they hope to expand vaccine eligibility to all adults by the end of May, contingent on supply of course. Just as I get excited when the end of snowfalls for the year is in sight, even more exciting, is the prospect of ‘the end of COVID’ being on the horizon.
Now I realize it won’t actually be the end of COVID, but we are at least headed towards a path back to normal life.
So, moving away from coronavirus news, this week’s links are mainly investing-related. We have a look at the question of retiring by 50 – a case study on whether this is still a possibility for an average family. Also included, a great resource for brokerage rankings. and finally, some more news on the continually escalating lumber prices. Escalating to the point that it’s getting beyond ridiculous.
Enjoy the weekly reads below!
Millennials Want to FIRE at Age 50 | My Own Advisor
With crazy house prices and all the expenses these days, such as saving for your kids’ post-secondary schooling – is it actually possible for millennials to retire at 50 years old? Mark Seedfrom MyOwnAdvisor investigates this question with the help of a fee-for-service financial planner. Now admittedly, this couple has a very respectable family income, but at the same time, 50-years of age is still a pretty healthy retirement date to shoot for. So is it possible? Read the story to find out what a planner thinks!
Canadian Online Brokerage Rankings | Surviscor
Are you a regular user of TD Waterhouse, Scotia iTrade, Questrade, Wealthsimple Trade, Qtrade or others? Are you wondering how your favourite online brokerage stacks up against the rest, which well-loved features earn praise, or what sort of features you might be missing out on or weren’t even aware of? This resource for brokerage rankings was mentioned by my friend Philip MacKellar as I was checking out Contra the Heards’ new YouTube channel, another link I’d recommend checking out!
Lumber Prices Continue to Soar – Canfor Q1 Profit | BNN Bloomberg Canada
The state of the lumber markets has approached a level of insanity, to the point that I’m seeing lumber memes and related jokes popping up in more generic, everyday corners of the Internet that I browse. Such as people trading 2×4’s for expensive luxury items like gold bars, locking up blocks of wood in safety deposit boxes, or bank vaults – it’s all a little insane. I was surprised when lumber futures cracked the $1000 MBF mark (per thousand board-feet) but this past week we’ve crossed over $1500 MBF. Hopefully, you didn’t have any big outdoor renovation plans this summer – like a giant deck! If you did, you might just be better off buying composite materials!
Check out my latest piece – “Investment Musings: Why I Wish I Planted a Lemon Tree” along with the latest articles on the homepage and have a great week!
