This week on the pod Bob and Nelson tackle a few different topics. We start out with a reader comment asking what's the better approach in retirement -- selling shares or collecting dividends.

Then we pivot to one of the most interesting questions in personal finance. Should you pay down the mortgage early, or use that capital to invest? We have thoughts.

And finally, we talk about some easy financial moves you can make before the year is over, including some easy ways to plan taxes and making sure you get the most out of your annual benefits plan.

In this episode we look at the various systems we use to tell when it's time to buy a stock.

We outline a few different ways that we decide when it's time to buy a stock, including looking at 52-week lows, buying at low valuations, why dividend yields can be a useful valuation metric, and why you might want to combine a few different measures to see if a stock is cheap.

If you struggle when to put cash to work in a stock you're looking to buy, this episode is for you.

This week on the pod Bob and Nelson are joined by Kristy and Bryce of Millennial Revolution.

Kristy and Bryce are the OG Canadian early retirees, hanging up the proverbial skates more than a decade ago. They've kept busy with travel, writing, parenting, and so much more.

We discuss their life as early retiree expats who have traveled to dozens of different countries, what it's like to travel with young kids, whether earning income as writers makes them truly retired (Kristy's response to this was terrific), and how lessons they learned about early retirement transferred to parenting as well.

For more on Kristy and Bryce check out their site https://www.millennial-revolution.com/ and the Amazon page for their latest book, Parent Like a Millionaire. https://link.amazon/B0iPxQdqe.

We know, we know. Bonds aren't a very sexy asset class. You're not about to impress a potential mate with your bond portfolio. They're boring and offer limited returns.

But maybe things are changing. U.S. Treasury bonds are suddenly offering 5%+ yields, which is more than a lot of dividends. There's a certain appeal to putting all your money in Treasuries and heading to the beach.

We discuss the pros and cons of that plan from a Canadian perspective, and offer a more balanced look at the role bonds might play in your portfolio -- including why they might be most valuable as a ballast, as a source of fresh capital to put to work when stocks are down.

We also go over the dangers of chasing yield in the bond world, how what look like super generous payouts are riskier than they seem.

You want stocks? You got it!

This week Bob and Nelson give our opinions on 10 different stocks, everything from U.S. tech giants to Canadian rails, plus thoughts on Enbridge, A&W, Intact Financial, Granite REIT, and more.

Then, after that, we're tackling a subject every financially responsible parent has pondered at least once or twice -- just how do you raise money smart kids. We debate whether this important topic should be taught in schools, and what parents can do to give their children a leg up.

Get your library cards ready! This week on the pod Bob and Nelson discuss our favourite finance books, which will likely include some of your favourites -- and potentially some new ones, too.

We also discuss one that is popular in the community, but is unloved by at least one of us. We're hiding deep in our respective bunkers just in case y'all get *real* excited about that one.

Let us know in the comments which finance books you like. Bonus points for a little more obscure ones.

We also tackle one of the great debates in finance -- should you invest a lump sum immediately, or dollar cost average over time? The experts say one thing, but we explore all the options.

Our first guest of season 2 is a good one.

Bob and Nelson welcome early retiree John Champaign to the show to squash the various early retirement myths you see floating around social media.

Do you really need $5M to retire? Will you be forced to kill time in front of the tv, just waiting to die? We put these myths (plus more!) to the test, and lean on John's experience as someone who retired early and stayed retired.

In this episode, Bob and Nelson look back at some of the lessons we learned from season 1, but we go even deeper. We talk about how important it is to write down your thoughts, so there's a record of what you were thinking when you make certain decisions.

Then we dive deep into the topic of coast FIRE, pointing out the pros and cons of this intermediate step towards financial independence. It might be just the thing you're looking for if you're on your way to full financial independence, but want to take your foot off the gas pedal a bit.

Finally we tackle Canadian banks. Are they overvalued? Should you be buying or selling today? We go through what we think of these wonderful forever stocks.