Monthly Reads: Back to Basics and Sticky Real Estate

Welcome to my favourite “Monthly Reads” for April 2023! These are articles, podcasts, or videos from the personal finance community and elsewhere that I found especially illuminating, entertaining, or beneficial for anyone on the path the financial independence.

If you missed it, feel free to check out my last edition of monthly reads.

In this edition, I share my favourite TED Talk, a dividend update from one of my favourite bloggers, and an analysis of Canada’s real estate market. I hope you enjoy!

Mr. Money Mustache’s TED Talk

This TED talk from Mr. Money Mustache (Pete Adeney) is over 5 years old now, but the wisdom shared is just as relevant now as it was back then.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Money Mustache, he’s had a huge influence on the FIRE (financial independence retire early) movement. His post on The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement was a revelation for many. And since then, he has inspired so many people to get started on the path towards FIRE.

In this TED talk, Mr. Money Mustache uses humour and his own experiences to explain FIRE to a group who are mostly familiar with the topic. The result is quite fantastic, and serves as a great tool to introduce FIRE-curious people to what the movement is really about.

Rommel’s Massive TFSA Income

Another great blogger I enjoy is Rommel over at My Prudent Life. He’s a nurse located here, in Canada, but has lived and worked all over the world—the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and England.

He’s been blogging as a hobby for a few years now and loves sharing how his dividend income has grown. In his latest update, he shared some astounding numbers. So far this year, he’s averaged over 20% year-over-year dividend growth in his and his wife’s TFSA portfolio.

That puts him on track to earn $11,500 in dividends in 2023—wow!

Rommel’s portfolio has demonstrated some amazing growth in 2023 so far!

What I enjoy most about My Prudent Life is that it’s a great example of another Canadian who’s leveraging the power of dividends to help them reach financial independence. I highly recommend checking out his portfolio if you’re interested in dividends or looking to become a dividend growth investor.

Sticky Real Estate Prices

I’ve shared Liquid’s content a few times on my blog so far. I think the first time was in my December 2021 net worth update, when he compiled a list of insights from other investors in the personal finance blog community.

More recently, I really enjoyed his analysis of Canada’s real estate market. As you may know, Canada’s real estate prices are down between 13 and 15% over the past year (depending on how you measure). And many of us are just waiting for the next shoe to drop—I know I am!

But in Liquid’s recent post, he shares his theory for why Canada’s real estate prices haven’t fallen as much as people expected. He also created a great Youtube video diving deep into the topic:

I think Liquid is right on the money with his analysis. It’s a story about inventory, insane rents, and an overall strong job market that’s kept real estate afloat. If you want to get the full picture, I recommend checking out his video.

Thanks for Reading!

I hope you enjoyed this little look back at my favourite reads for the month of April. Was there anything great I missed? Any new blogs I should be following or YouTube channels to subscribe to? I’m always looking for recommendations, so don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments below.

As always, consider subscribing to the AnotherLoonie newsletter if you’d like to get a monthly email with my latest posts. And if you have any personal finance-related questions, submit them to me using this link.

Consider supporting my blog by sharing or joining me in using any of my recommended services: