A recent meeting of industry minds at York University explored the idea of imposing a fiduciary duty upon financial advisors. Noting many other professions, including doctors and lawyers, require that standard, the gathering was meant to get the attention of regulators and lead to creation of commensurate rules.

Advisors Edge Report, by Philip Porado
May 2010

According to one advisor in attendance, the higher standard is necessary to ensure those dispensing financial advice have a better understanding of the obligation they take on when they agree to run a client's money.

Full text: Defining fiduciary duty

Now that Mia's here, the Barretts' priorities have suddenly changed. Can they get by on one income? Which comes first, their mortgage or their RRSP? What insurance do they need? We find the answers every young family needs to know

MoneySense Magazine, by Julie Cazzin
May 2010

Karl and Claudia Barrett are ecstatic. Earlier this year, the couple welcomed their newborn daughter, Mia, to the family. They love having a baby around the house but it has also made their life more complicated — and not just because of night feedings, diaper changes and endless loads of laundry.

Full text: And baby makes three

Cheaper homes, bigger lots, $7-a-day daycare and tax breaks for parents are drawing many families to Gatineau from Ottawa. But some say they'll likely move back to Ottawa for the lower taxes and better health care once their kids are grown

CBC News
March 2010

Cheaper houses with bigger lots, $7-a-day daycare and generous tax breaks for parents are drawing many families with young children to Gatineau from Ottawa.

"I feel we have more than if we lived in Ottawa," said Theresa Mantha, a mother of four children who moved to Gatineau's Aylmer district seven years ago.

Mantha, whose husband works as a teacher in Ottawa, was at first reluctant to consider living in Quebec because she doesn't speak French. But the couple, who had two children at the time, couldn't find any affordable homes even in suburbs such as Barrhaven.

"In Aylmer...the house pricing was phenomenally way down, and the lots you get are so much bigger than what you get in Ottawa, so it's definitely worth your money," she said. The family managed to buy a threebedroom semi-detached home with a "nice-sized" yard, close to the Champlain bridge.

Full text: Ottawa families benefit in Gatineau

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The Minellis are in their late forties, and they want to retire right now. Problem is, they've never invested in anything but GICs. Can they do it? Absolutely, say our experts. In fact they could have retired years ago

MoneySense Magazine, by Julie Cazzin
February/March 2010

Sophia and Vincent Minelli want to change their lives. And they want to do it now. The problem isn't their modest home in chilly Red Deer, Alta., or the five-hour drive it takes to visit family and friends in Lethbridge. It's their jobs.

Full text: How to retire at 45