Personal Finance

Opinion

Comedy Network South Park has done its part to bring the term ‘nut’ — as in discussed in the context of what someone’s spend rate is based on their lifestyle — into the public conversation.

Increasingly cited financial term, ‘nut,’ is worth knowing, says best-selling author

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

It’s nuts. That might be some folks’ reaction if they knew their “nut” in the financial sense of the word.

If that stirs visions of squirrels fighting over acorns, you are not far off.

Nut is increasingly used in popular culture, especially in the United States as the struggle increases for millions of consumers with each passing day.

A couple of high-profile TV examples are South Park and Your Friends & Neighbors, where the nut is discussed in the context of what someone’s spend rate is based on their lifestyle.

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Opinion

Yielding attraction

Yielding attraction

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Yielding attraction

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Yield is a Rorschach test for investors. Where one see opportunity in high payouts from an investment, another sees high risk.

Consider bonds: yields are moving higher, which implies higher risk in the market, but to an investor considering buying a bond, higher yields represent higher income.

For most of the past 18 years, bond yields have been near historical lows and investors have sought alternatives.

“Canada’s population is aging, with a growing number of investors approaching or entering retirement and looking for more income,” says Pat Sommerville, co-chief executive officer of Hamilton ETFs in Toronto.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Opinion

Magnific ‘There’s a ton of government bonds coming out because the U.S. has to finance itself, but all of the (AI) hyperscalers are tapping the U.S. market for funding at the same time,’ says Konstantin Boehmer of Mackenzie Investments.

Bond yields are rising, reflecting fear, loathing about state of world

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Bond yields are rising, reflecting fear, loathing about state of world

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

It can seem counter-intuitive, but rising bond yields reflect investor worry. (After all, aren’t higher yields attractive?)

At the same time, investors’ bagful of anxieties is running headlong into greater demand for borrowing than at any time in human history.

It’s a full-course meal of mayhem: trade wars, unending real wars, accelerating government budgets and big tech companies borrowing as much as they can to achieve artificial intelligence supremacy.

Don’t forget the orange zest of economic unrest: an unpredictable, often incomprehensible president of the United States.

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Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

Opinion

CHEYANNE MUMPHREY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES

Back to school means increased costs for parents, post-secondary students

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Back to school means increased costs for parents, post-secondary students

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

In the words of advice for students from Thornton Melon: “It’s rough out there. Move back in with your parents.”

As comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s character alluded to in the 1986 comedy Back to School, it is indeed a tough financial environment as students head back to the classroom in 2026.

A Capital One Canada survey found families are struggling with costs, with nearly six in 10 parents surveyed stating back-to-school expenses are higher than expected.

It’s not just tuition, new clothes and supplies. Extracurricular activities — like hockey, figure skating, ringette, soccer, dance, etc. — also ramp up, involving tuition-sized payments.

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Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

Opinion

Magnific Wealthsimple launched the first prediction market in Canada in July. At least one critic says such online platforms should be regulated in Canada as gambling rather than investments.

Prospective prophets profit

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Prospective prophets profit

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Investing generally involves a prophetic take on the future.

After all, investors are wagering that asset prices’ values will increase over time.

Yet prediction markets kick prognostication up several notches. These online platforms move beyond just financial assets to an assortment of world events: elections, sporting events and whether the latest blockbuster will break box office records.

At least, that is what the world’s largest prediction market platforms — Polymarket and Kalshi, both based in the United States — offer.

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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Opinion

Mike Deal / Free Press files People take a break from sandbagging to protect properties in a flooded area of Swan River on July 2.

Insurance inevitably

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Insurance inevitably

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026

Floods, hail and wildfires are increasingly common features of North American summers.

Adding to collective dismay, these natural disasters are the common denominator behind sticker price shock for homeowners seeing insurance premiums jump higher annually.

“Home insurance has steadily been rising since 2019,” says Matt Hands, vice-president of insurance at Ratehub.ca.

A recent report from Statistics Canada shows home and mortgage insurance premiums have risen 45 per cent on average over the last six years. That is more than double overall inflation over that span.

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Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026

Opinion

Magnific Many people name their spouse attorney-in-fact, but they also should name an alternate — who should definitely be aware they’re being nominated for the job.

Bearing other people’s burdens

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Bearing other people’s burdens

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

It might feel like an honour to have a family member or friend place tremendous trust in you to be their voice when they can no longer speak for themselves.

Whether they’re physically or mentally unable to do so, or deceased, being in charge of fulfilling their wishes often can’t be fully grasped by those taking on the roles of executor of their will or power of attorney.

These important jobs may not be the most onerous on the planet, but for the uninitiated, they probably involve more twists and turns than anticipated.

There’s not many playbooks on how to be an executor or serve as the attorney-in-fact named in the power of attorney document, says Philippe Richer, lawyer and principal at TLR Law Office in Winnipeg.

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Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

Opinion

Magnific More than a quarter surveyed said advertising has influenced them to place a wager, while one-third of younger Canadians said advertising has led them to place a bet.

Losing proposition

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Losing proposition

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

It’s just a game. And in the case of the World Cup over the last few weeks, it’s a beautiful game — dozens of them, in fact.

Yet interspersed amongst the exciting broadcast play on the pitch, advertising for sports gambling has raised concerns fun and games may come at too high a cost for some.

A recent New York Times feature pointed to a bonanza for the gaming industry globally, with one analyst stating the flow of bets amounts to as many as 10 Super Bowls.

Billions are likely to be made by online gambling platforms from what has been called the biggest gambling event in history. The other side of that coin is billions of dollars will be lost by sports fans willing to wager on a game’s outcome.

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Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

Opinion

Summer school for RESPs

Summer school for RESPs

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Summer school for RESPs

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

If you’ve been saving for years for your child’s post-secondary education, and they are now ready to pursue higher learning in the fall, it’s not unusual to feel a little lost regarding how best to use that money.

That’s because the main savings vehicle for post-secondary learning, the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), is often complicated to unwind.

“There are definitely some unique aspects to taking out money from a RESP,” says Anthony Maros, senior private banker at BMO Private Wealth in Winnipeg.

Unlike a RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) where every withdrawal is taxable because all contributions are made with after tax money (hence the deduction on contributions), RESPs involve taxable and non-taxable withdrawals.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Opinion

Magnific A 2019 study says axing drug costs for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory conditions would result in 90,000 fewer hospital stays and $1.2 billion in cost savings a year.

Pill, bills, budgetary aches

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Pill, bills, budgetary aches

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 20, 2026

We’re a nation of drug users. Well, not those drugs.

Rather, many Canadians have their health supported by pharmaceutical medications prescribed by a physician.

In our universal health-care system, medication can come with a big additional cost.

The federal government introduced a national pharmacare program in 2024. Manitoba was among the first to sign on, partly leading to its Enhanced Pharmacare Program, which now offers birth control, diabetes and a few other medications at no cost to Manitobans.

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Saturday, Jun. 20, 2026

Opinion

Magnific The K-shaped economy is ‘basically the worst ... because a good chunk of the population is unaffected by inflation, while a growing demographic is violently affected by higher prices.’

Inflation hitting Canadians where it hurts

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Inflation hitting Canadians where it hurts

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Inflation bites. That’s especially true for a key element of a budget that’s challenging to go without: food.

Higher prices always eat away at spending power, but food price increases have devoured household budgets in recent years, Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) data show.

Food cost increases may have peaked in Manitoba in 2022 at nearly 14 per cent, year over year. But even recent data shows prices rising 4.8 per cent, among the highest in Canada.

Households have little choice but to endure higher food costs, given they cannot go without, or they are increasingly turning to food banks and other community supports. Since 2020, the province’s food banks have logged a 150 per cent increase in use, a 2025 Harvest Manitoba report found.

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Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Opinion

Magnific The challenge for intrigued investors is separating scientific fact from fiction, says Kenneth Lamont, principal researcher at Morningstar specializing in emerging technologies, based in London. ‘You may be completely correct on the importance of a new technology, but the horse you bet on could just fizzle out for the wrong reasons.’

Investors can roll dice on emerging technologies that may or may not shape future, portfolios’ net worth

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Investors can roll dice on emerging technologies that may or may not shape future, portfolios’ net worth

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, May. 30, 2026

We live in hyperstitious times.

A philosopher named Nick Land coined the word hyperstition in the 1990s, describing the sense of living today in science fiction of the past.

Investors may have that same sensation, given the dominance of artificial intelligence in their portfolios.

Yet AI is arguably more than an advanced chat-bot/search engine. It is “the fabric that’s binding” together a lot of other science fiction-like technologies, moving them closer to viable commercialization, says Mickey Ganguly, associate portfolio manager for the CIBC Technology Innovation Fund.

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Saturday, May. 30, 2026

Opinion

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS REITs hold portfolios of commercial real estate properties focused on specific types like multifamily rental, industrial, retail, office and even seniors residences.

REIT idea

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

REIT idea

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Saturday, May. 16, 2026

Real estate is often on Manitobans’ minds. It’s close to home, literally.

We must either pay rent for shelter or own a home. Both can stretch budgets these days. Yet ownership is a cornerstone of wealth because the principal residence exemption allows for long-term growth in home values tax-free.

It’s been a heck of an investment if you were lucky enough to get on board before prices soared. Consider the aggregate benchmark (typical dwelling) price of a home was about $199,000 in 2006 in Winnipeg. Today, it’s nearly $395,000.

That’s an increase of nearly 100 per cent.

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Saturday, May. 16, 2026

Opinion

MAGNIFICA ‘Maestros’ are often more focused on a company’s fundamentals. They invest based on the quality of the business and the prospects for future growth and profitability.

New book examines how leading stock pickers only right half the time, still get exceptional returns

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

New book examines how leading stock pickers only right half the time, still get exceptional returns

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, May. 9, 2026

The world’s best, most successful investors are not market wizards. They’re maestros, argues a former top fund manager turned successful financial writer.

To Lee Freeman-Shor, wizards are traders, speculating on price movements, and the successful ones are indeed skilled, making money by trading frequently based on pricing data.

Maestros, in contrast, are often more focused on a company’s fundamentals. They invest based on the quality of the business and the prospects for future growth and profitability.

A few years ago, Freeman-Shor — a former, award-winning money manager with a master’s degree in psychology and neuroscience — authored The Art of Execution: How the World’s Best Investors Get it Wrong and Still Make Millions.

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Saturday, May. 9, 2026

Opinion

Financial literacy’s blind spot

Winnipeg, U.K. economic experts team up to better understand poverty trap

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Winnipeg, U.K. economic experts team up to better understand poverty trap

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, May. 2, 2026

Money know-how is essential to survival no matter where you live in the world. Without adequate financial literacy, it’s difficult to achieve what many experts in the field call “financial well-being.”

A growing field of research suggests one reason financial literacy initiatives have failed to make in-roads, especially for low-income individuals, is because they do not address the many facets of financial well-being, says one of the leading experts in the field.

“Financial well-being for most people is about a balance, and what you see quite strongly is that it really has a social component,” says Adele Atkinson, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Atkinson, who will be in Winnipeg this week, is a member of the university’s well-respected Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM). She says financial well- being goes beyond long-term financial security.

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Saturday, May. 2, 2026

Opinion

Freepik

ESG, ru OK?

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

ESG, ru OK?

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Apr. 18, 2026

It’s been a rough year, depending on your viewpoint, for the world.

That’s especially true for folks who believe in climate change science, as they watch the largest economic power in the world make statements like: “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”

That’s a March 2025 statement by Lee Zeldin, head of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States.

Since then, the Trump administration hasn’t just embraced climate scepticism, it’s seemingly tried to accelerate climate change, repealing protections while rapidly expanding oil and gas, and even coal development.

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Saturday, Apr. 18, 2026

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