Reader It has been a packed week over here, mostly because the World Cup (Go Canada 🇨🇦 Go) is heating up and I am completely glued to the TV. Katie hasn't seen me get this intensely invested in a tournament before, mainly because this is the first World Cup that has happened since we met. Needless to say, she is already a bit fed up with my yelling at the screen. 😂 We also had two of her friends visit from Brockville, so we headed into Toronto for our first Blue Jays game of the season. I...
10 days ago • 4 min read
Reader Before we dive into the math today, I want to send a massive Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, father figures, and supportive men in the FFP community. I want to take a quick personal moment to celebrate my own father, Olavo. When people ask me where I developed the foundational skills to run a clinic and build FFP, they usually expect me to name a finance textbook. The truth is, I learned it at the kitchen table watching him. He taught me the pillars of kindness and generosity,...
17 days ago • 5 min read
Happy Sunday, Reader I want to kick things off today with a quick story about the power of stepping completely out of your comfort zone. Earlier this week, I played in the Bitcoin Open golf tournament. I actually signed up as a solo player and did not know a single soul who was going to be there. I only found out about the event because I subscribe to a newsletter written by a guy I saw speak at a real estate conference a while back. Showing up to a networking event completely solo can be...
24 days ago • 5 min read
Reader It has been an absolute whirlwind of a week over here. I am coming off a stretch of playing about seven rounds of golf in the last nine days (only one of those rounds, I was proud of), and I’ve got a big one tomorrow, at the Bitcoin Open (yes, yes, as I write this, bitcoin is getting beat up more than a new grad’s thumbs after their first full week of manual therapy. Yesterday was a highlight, though. I played in a charity golf tournament alongside my brother, Daniel, and our good...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Reader It has been a surprisingly quiet weekend at the house. Katie headed out to Prescott to visit family and check out a friend's new house, which they just moved into last month (the same friends, Tori and Andrew, that surprised her for her birthday)! That left just Fernie and me holding down the fort. We spent some quality time together, and I managed to sneak out for a couple of rounds of golf to clear my head. But even with a quiet house, it ended up being a massive weekend for...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Reader Two weeks ago, I asked you the ultimate personal finance debate question: Should you pay off your mortgage or invest the cash? The replies blew up my inbox. Some of you are debt allergic and want every spare dollar slamming the principal. Others are spreadsheet warriors who can prove, line by line, that the math says invest every time. Here is the uncomfortable truth I have learned after walking hundreds of clinicians through this exact decision: Both camps are right. And both camps...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
Reader, Before we dive into the financial deep end today, I want to address the massive response to last week's poll. I asked if you wanted a deep dive on the ultimate financial debate: Paying off your mortgage vs. investing your cash. The overwhelming majority of you said YES. So, block off some time next Sunday, because we are going to break down the exact math on how to handle your mortgage based on a few personal factors. This week, though, I want to keep the focus strictly on investing....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Reader, I want to start today by wishing a massive Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms reading this. Raising kids while balancing a career (especially in healthcare) is the hardest job on the planet. I especially want to take a moment to celebrate my own mom, Teresa. So much of the drive, work ethic, and foundational values that allowed me to build the life I have today came directly from her. She has always been an unwavering pillar of support for our family. If you are lucky...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
Reader, Happy Sunday! If this newsletter feels a little shorter than usual, it is because I am writing this while still unpacking our bags. Today is Katie’s 33rd birthday; she's halfway to 66 (she'll hate me for saying that). To celebrate, I put together a surprise weekend trip. I even wrote her a custom riddle to reveal where we were going and who was coming with us: "We’re packing our bags, leaving the Hammer behind, With a compass set south, a new coastline to find. We’ll drive past the...
2 months ago • 5 min read