The Rational Reminder Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Embracing Uncertainty: Planning Ahead and Taking On the Risk with Big Bang Theory Writer, David Goetsch (EP.26) Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to this holiday edition of the Rational Reminder Podcast. Today on the show we have a special treat for you. A little while back, Cameron made an incredible connection with our guest, David Goetsch. David is a writer and the Co-Executive Producer of the Big Bang Theory. David himself subscribes to our investment philosophy and he is passionate enough about it that he speaks about it at conferences every now and then. He is truly a fascinating guy and the impact that this investment philosophy had on him is unreal. Inside this episode David shares with us how he used to a be a self-described worrier who worried about every little thing in his life. But once he had his eyes opened up to this philosophy, it changed him forever. He now embraces uncertainty, he embraces risk, he is not worried about his portfolio at all, and it has given him a great amount of peace in his life. For an incredible conversation with an absolutely changed man, stay tuned to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

How David's financial advisor changed his entire life. [0:02:46.3]
What it means to become a transformed investor. [0:08:32.1]
The greatest impact that David's philosophy had on his life. [0:10:19.7]
David's relationship with his financial advisor; meetings, and guidance. [0:14:03.6]
How to think about the fees you pay your financial advisor. [0:16:11.1]
David's miscalculation of risk in his life; moving to Hollywood. [0:22:36.0]
The journey of David's career as writer in Hollywood. [0:27:17.3]
Schedule and writing process of the Big Bang Theory. [0:34:23.1]
How David defines success and happiness in his own life. [0:37:43.0]
The story of when David got check 1 of 104 from Big Bang Theory. [0:39:51.8]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

The Year End Round Up: Recapping Recent Market Performance (EP.25) Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

This week on the podcast we are starting to wrap things up for the year, doing some house keeping and looking back at recent trends in the market. First of all we talk a bit about the podcast going forward and have a few comments on ratings and reviews. We also look at some of the upcoming content you can expect early next year! We chat about the client survey we recently held and what the data from this tells us. From there we move into more general information on the relationship between risk and profitability and try and explain why they are so closely linked. We also get into the market's performance this year and the apparently bad year it has had. This exploration is located in the broader context of historical data and evidence based investing strategies and we try our best to show how a bad year like 2018 is not a reason to be reactive in you investments. For this and more, join us today!

Key Points From This Episode:

The first critical review of the podcast. [0:01:52.3]
Some of the upcoming content for the new year. [0:02:52.0]
The recent client survey which we completed. [0:04:56.3]
Interesting data that we collected during this survey. [0:07:02]
The blog post from Michael James about our chat with Glenn Cooke recently. [0:08:57.8]
How is being profitable riskier? [0:12:39.9]
Behavioral explanations for factors and market timing. [0:15:10.7]
The market this year and how it has dipped. [0:16:13.3]
Comparing this year's downturn with 2008. [0:17:38.6]
This generation's investors and risk seeking. [0:21:04.7]
Understanding standard deviation in this context. [0:22:58.3]
The potential impact of social media on markets compared to 2008. [0:26:02.4]
The human bias towards action when in danger. [0:27:12.8]
Don't leave your seat to get a hot dog! [0:29:04.2]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

Evidence: What To Follow And What Not To Follow (EP.24) Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to The Rational Reminder Podcast. Today, Benjamin is getting the factor fill off his chest. We are diving into a range of topics and we are talking about other factors or how far you can push the evidence. This is the first time in a while that we've really dug into factors. We cover other interesting topics like increasing CPP benefits, we talk about our regulatory bodies and the debate going on there, as well as the big news around Vanguard. It's a fun debate and a good conversation. So, keep listening to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

How CPP is expanding in 2019. [0:01:48.0]
Advocis putting the business interest of financial advisers before clients. [0:05:0]
The rumor circulating about Vanguard. [0:10:22.0]
A none story - How asset owners are falling out of love with index funds. [0:13:00]
Why the rich aren't happy, why more money does not make people happier. [0:15:44.0]
Factors of a way to beat the market and why factors work. [0:17:38.0]
Factor regression on portfolios. [0:22:46.0]
Long versus short stock picking. [0:27:43.0]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

The Basic Rules of Purchasing Insurance: What, Why, When and How Much! (EP.23) Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to The Rational Reminder Podcast. Today we are joined by Glenn Cooke. Glenn is a fixture on the personal finance Canada sub-Reddit and spent many years as the President of Lifeinsurancecanada.com, which is an online platform for insurance information. Today, Glenn is the President of Insurance Squared where he works with market research departments at life insurance companies and shows life insurance agents how to generate leads online and sell non-face to face. Glenn has a very matter of fact, rational approach to insurance and that's what we talk to him about in today's episode. He shares with us about the mistakes he commonly sees in insurance, especially the fact that most people way under buy the amount of life insurance that they truly need. Glenn also describes permanent insurance, what it is, when it makes sense and what situations it is best suited for. We hear about when it's important to use investments versus not and as long as consumers stick to those basic rules, it's hard to go astray. So for an incredible interview, keep listening to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Over the phone and online - why that approach worked so well for Glen. [0:02:24.0]
Understanding field underwriting. [0:03:17.0]
Why some people are hesitant buying insurance online and prefer in person. [0:06:27.0]
Most common questions people are asking when buying insurance. [0:07:27.0]
Mistakes people are making when buying life insurance. [0:07:56.0]
Justifying how much you need. [0:09:31.0]
How disability insurance ties in very closely to life insurance. [0:10:34.0]
Settling for group disability insurance through your employer. [0:13:23.0]
What is permanent life insurance and where would it make sense. [0:15:25.0]
Two general categories of permanent insurance. [0:19:30.0]
Glen's views on critical illness insurance. [0:21:0]
Three ways you can use life insurance. [0:25:46.0]
Ways you can get money out of your insurance policy. [0:28:08.0]
Glen's observation about financial literary in Canada. [0:32:05.0]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

The Yield Curve Is Not Out To Get You Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

In this bonus episode we briefly talk about the yield curve, and why it's probably not going to hurt you. With special guest Robert Little, Wealth Management Analyst at PWL Capital.

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

Transformational Decision Making: Building A Company, Defining Success, and Finding Happiness (EP.22) Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to The Rational Reminder Podcast. Today we are joined by Daniel Weinand. Daniel is the cofounder of Shopify, which is a company based in Ottawa that has had enormous success, not just in Ottawa or Canada, but all over the world in the last few years as a public company. Shopify is a great commerce platform that supports over 600,000 different stores worldwide. It is an incredible success story, and the best way that we can describe the conversation was that it was very intense. Everything from the way Daniel thinks about things to what he's been able to achieve comes down to his intensity, and you can actually see the wheels turning in his head while he speaks. So for an incredible interview, keep listening to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

How Daniel chose Canada and got involved in Shopify. [0:02:13.0]
Decisions that were transformational for the company. [0:04:21.0]
Daniel's transition into retirement from Shopify. [0:06:07.0]
The role of happiness and self-fulfillment. [0:10:18.0]
The beauty of poker — a game of incomplete information. [0:11:19.0]
Creating a company culture. [0:19:16.0]
The impact financial security has on productivity and engagement for employees. [0:25:04.0]
How Daniel defines success. [0:26:25.0]
Why Daniel chose to work with PWL. [0:29:41.0]
The impact of money in Daniel's life. [0:33:50]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

Buying or Leasing: Weighing the Costs of Real Estate Choices (EP.21) Nov 22, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to The Rational Reminder Podcast. Today's episode is focused on the question of investing in real estate. It is still a common conundrum for investors and even those who may not consider themselves active investors, whether to buy or to rent a property. As you may imagine it is not a very simple issue and the answer does require some serious thought and calculation. But our hosts do their best to lay out some of the most important concerns and factors in trying to find the answer. Before getting into the meat of the episode however, we also look at some general recent news from the money world including developments from Investor's Group, the market's downturn and the low year we have all had as well as thinking about Canadian small cap stocks. For all this and more, be sure to tune in!

Read Robb Engen's take on this episode on the Boomer & Echo blog.

Key Points From This Episode:

The changes Investor's Group have made to their pricing. [0:01:27.4]
The recent downturns in the market. [0:03:04.8]
Evolving perspectives and long term measurements on your returns. [0:05:00.2]
Looking at the performance of Canadian small cap stocks. [0:09:55.2]
Beginning to weigh the costs of owning versus renting real estate. [0:11:13.3]
Dropping opportunity costs and changes in income over time. [0:16:15.8]
Adjusting your view to your total unrecoverable costs. [0:16:46.4]
The biggest advantage of home ownership. [0:18:26.8]
Some points from Larry Swedroe that we can all adhere to. [0:20:38.2]
Keeping track of your decisions and why you made them. [0:25:41.8]
And much more!

The Cost of Financial Advice: Should You Pay For It and If You Do, How Much Should You Pay For It? (EP.20) Nov 15, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to The Rational Reminder Podcast. On today's episode we are going to roll out our new format for the show. We ended off our previous show format with a series of interviews, and today we are ready to jump into something new! Of course, we definitely don't plan on doing that perfectly today because we do have a couple of things that we want to talk about before we make it official. The meat of the episode will be focused on discussing the cost of financial advice. Should you pay for it, how should you pay for it, and how much should you pay for it? On top of that, we are going to be discussing the performance of the markets, controlling the things you do have control over, being a DIY investor, and how to strategically choose where you get your investment advice from. It's genuine and it's out there, so keep listening to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Performance of the markets - should you invest. [0:03:25.0]
Having control over your asset allocation. [0:05:0]
The use of robo advisors. [0:07:21.0]
What should we be paying for advisors. [0:10:40.0]
Service delivery - is the outcome positive for the client and the advisor. [0:13:49.0]
How we use a tier fee structure at PWL. [0:16:17.0]
Benjamin shares about the event he went to last week. [0:17:03.0]
Who should you be getting your advice from - does licensed matter. [0:21:14.0]
Being a DIY investor. [0:23:34.0]
The key takeaway. [0:28:21.0]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

Decision Making: Mental Models, Knowing Your Variables, and Achieving Positive Outcomes With Shane Parrish (EP.19) Nov 07, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to another episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast. Our guest today is Shane Parrish. Shane runs the Farnam Street Blog, which has to be one of the most valuable collections of information that exists on the Internet. Farnam Street's stated intention is mastering the best of what other people have already figured out and the site gets over a million visitors. The content is unbelievable in terms of improving yourself, thinking better, and learning better. Shane interviewed Ray Dalio not long ago and over time he's spoken with some pretty serious people in his podcast, The Knowledge Project Podcast. This episode is a very peaceful, thoughtful, interesting conversation that we know listeners will love. Shane's just got so much information in his head that we all can get a ton of value from. So, be sure to keep listening to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

What mental models are and why they're important. [0:02:07.0]
Top list of mental models for making investing decisions. [0:03:39.0]
The most harmful biases to investors. [0:04:44.0]
Importance of process when making investment decisions. [0:07:51.0]
Why Shane uses decision journals. [0:09:11.0]
Being willing to look stupid. [0:12:36.0]
How intuition and skills go together in investing. [0:14:16.0]
Public markets versus private markets. [0:16:19.0]
Avoiding negative outcomes and having positive outcomes. [0:20:41.0]
Understanding uncertainty and risk. [0:24:35.0]
Defining happiness for himself. [0:33:15.0]
Lessons Shane learned about parenting. [0:36:28.0]
Book that Shane loves to read. [0:43:55.0]
. [0:25:50.0]
And much more!

For more information or to contact Cameron and Ben, visit pwlcapital.com

A Passion for Ottawa: Running, Luck, and the Ovarian Lottery with Mark Sutcliffe. (EP.18) Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to another episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast. Our guest today is a great friend and associate, Mark Sutcliffe! Mark is a well know media personality, community worker, philanthropist, business person, and investor. He also happens to be a great speaker and listener, which probably has something to do with him hosting his own radio show. Today we are extremely excited to be able able to interview him and pick his brain on all things rational, financial, and beyond. We chat about what makes Mark tick, his passions, his motivations, and what keeps him going. From there we dive into the financial industry and hear first-hand about Mark's own learning curve and how he currently views investing. We then turn to the subject of Ottawa and look specifically at Mark's work in and commitment to the city. A strong theme that arises in this episode is Mark's view of his own good fortune and we finish off our interview with a meditation on the success he has experienced and some of his ambitions for the future. For all this and much more, be sure to listen in!

Key Points From This Episode:

Mark's passion and what keeps him motivated. [0:03:21.9]
A typical day in the life of Mark and how he gets through all this work. [0:04:34.3]
Mark's forays into and experiences with investing. [0:06:44.2]
The gripes that Mark has with certain areas of the financial industry. [0:09:45.7]
Mark's TED Talk and the role of luck in his life. [0:13:01.3]
Long term financial planning and how this links to the rest of Mark's life. [0:17:17.4]
A big picture perspective and how this helps investors through volatility. [0:21:28.6]
The media's role in public perception and culture around the markets. [0:23:07.2]
Mark's current thoughts on the Ottawa business scene. [0:24:48.5]
The long standing association between Mark and PWL. [0:27:06.7]
The trend towards index investing in Canada and its growing popularity. [0:29:00.9]
Mark's reflections on his successes and ambitions for the future. [0:31:19.2]
And much more!

Learn more and subscribe to the show at pwlcapital.com

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