An important retirement planning skill is having the ability to "sniff out" the future direction of various factors, such as inflation and interest rates for their potential impact on future household spending and savings efforts. "Reading the tea leaves" is a folk lore expression related to the practice of attempting to divine the future from the display of loose tea leaves at the bottom of a cup.

In today’s world, professional investment managers pay close attention to the pronouncements of various authorities, such as the Bank of Canada, the US Federal Reserve (FED) and various politicians for clues into the expected direction of things like...

Self-care is a popular buzzword, and it’s an important one. It refers to the deliberate choice of thoughts and actions that are good for your mental and physical wellbeing. Financial self-care means practicing this with money matters to reduce your stress and increase your optimism. It’s about making concrete plans, setting goals, and consistently practicing a mindset of possibility - that moves you into place of calm empowerment where you can achieve financial well-being.

Everybody wants to feel more financially secure but knowing where to start can seem vague and unattainable, especially when feeling anxious.

Here are four simple financial self-care practices to consider as you move toward building helpful money skills and cultivating the financial future...

Most wives outlive their husbands. Women live longer than men the same age and tend to marry men who are older than they are. So, if you’re a wife, it is more likely you will become a widow than your husband becoming a widower.

Knowing this, how can you prepare for it?

First of all, when widowhood strikes, don’t do anything drastic. Do not sell the house or car. Don’t decide to move to another town. You have just suffered a very traumatic experience and your system needs time to adjust to it. Take your time.

Next, realize that you’re in a vulnerable situation but you will need advice. Unfortunately you’ll get too much of it from well-meaning friends, relatives and even...