Most people think great investing means staying on top of the markets, catching the right stocks, and making smart moves. Colin and Greg would say that's exactly the problem.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, they use DIY home renovation as a surprisingly perfect analogy for what goes wrong when people manage their own money. The mistakes aren't usually the ones you see coming.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair break down what a meltdown strategy actually is, when it might make sense, and why doing it just because someone told you to can quietly cost you more in tax than you ever saved. The math matters more than the marketing.

The instinct is understandable. But the plan often becomes selling when markets are down, waiting, and then buying back in when things feel better.

That’s not strategy, it's emotion, and it’s one of the fastest ways to derail long-term returns.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg talk about why even seasoned investors feel unsettled during downturns, and why that doesn’t mean you should act on it.

Because volatility isn’t new. It’s expected. And the investors who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid fear, they’re the ones who don’t let it drive their decisions.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg explore why chasing the next big winner, timing the market, or relying on “being early” rarely works and why those ideas persist anyway.

They break down the difference between luck and skill, the cost of missing just a handful of market days, and why the real “pot of gold” is built through patience and compounding over time.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg dig into the patterns behind the rankings, why Nordic countries dominate the list, where Canada and the U.S. fall, and what the research reveals about the connection between policy, prosperity, and well-being.

A thoughtful conversation about what truly drives happiness in modern societies.

When markets fell 18%, she panicked and sold half her equities, only to miss the 22% rebound that followed.

It’s a powerful reminder that the hardest part of investing isn’t picking the right fund. It’s sticking to the financial plan when headlines, social media, and fear tell you to do the opposite.

Markets recover but emotional decisions can be permanent.

Using a real-life style case study, they explore how someone can have strong net worth on paper while still feeling monthly cash flow pressure.

It’s a reminder that financial planning isn’t just about assets. It’s about context, options, and clarity.

They explore how financial planning turns money into a life tool, replaces guesswork with clarity, and helps people navigate major life transitions with confidence, not just better returns.

A conversation about outcomes, behaviour, and building freedom over time.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Colin walk through decades of data on geopolitical shocks, what typically drives market drawdowns, how long recoveries tend to take, and why most sell-offs fade faster than headlines suggest.

They also explore what these events mean specifically for Canadian investors, including impacts on oil, the dollar, and global portfolios.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Colin look back at the stock lists published in early 2025 and ask the question most people forget to ask: how did they actually perform?

By comparing forecasts to real-world outcomes, they unpack why confidence doesn’t equal accuracy, why benchmarks matter more than opinions, and what investors can learn from hindsight.

Technical knowledge matters, but it isn’t what ultimately sets wealth advisors apart. Listening, understanding, and guiding people through uncertainty are what define the work.

Throughout the episode, they explore the lessons that only experience teaches, and what it really takes to build a career that lasts.

being reasonable beats being brilliant.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin reflects on five themes that have shaped the show over the years, starting with why behaviour matters more than intelligence, forecasts, or clever strategies.

It’s a reminder that long-term success rarely comes from bold moves. It comes from consistent, disciplined decisions made over time.

In this episode, Colin and Greg share a real example of a new investor reacting to a small short-term loss, and use it to explain why checking your portfolio too often can do more harm than good.

They break down volatility, time horizons, and why investing isn’t meant to feel like watching a savings account.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Rob Carrick, one of Canada’s most trusted personal finance journalists and longtime columnist at The Globe and Mail joins Greg and Colin to talk about how consumer culture has reshaped our relationship with money.

They discuss frictionless spending, social media pressure, and why debt often builds quietly, without a clear moment where things go wrong.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair talk about tax optimization, early planning, and why contributing sooner to your TFSA or RRSP can be one of the most underrated financial habits.

It’s step four in their “12 Steps to Greatness in 2026” list, and they cover all 12 to help you start the year with clarity.

According to Greg and Colin, there is one: diversification.

It’s not exciting. It doesn’t make headlines. But it’s one of the few strategies that has improved outcomes while helping reduce risk over time.

In this episode, they explain why diversification works, why investors resist it, and why it matters right now.

This week on the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg reflect on the thinkers and researchers who reshaped the way we understand economic behaviour. From evidence-based approaches to frameworks that bring discipline and clarity to decision-making, the way we view the world today exists because a few pioneers were willing to challenge old assumptions.

In this episode, Colin and Greg talk with Mark Eibel about the strange way human behaviour shows up around money. The market rises more than 70% of the time, yet fear in the 30% often pushes people out at exactly the wrong moment.

It is one of the few areas of life where people get more interested as prices rise and more nervous as prices fall, even though history shows that downturns are usually shorter than they feel.

They want to know, “will I be okay?”

This week, Colin and Greg explore the emotional side of money with financial therapist Ashley Quamme as they unpack the real drivers behind our financial behaviour.

The beliefs we inherit, the patterns we repeat, and the questions we are truly asking when we think we are asking about markets.

🎧 A powerful conversation for anyone curious about why they think, feel, and behave the way they do with money.

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA), part RRSP, part TFSA, all opportunity.

In this week's episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg explain how the FHSA works, the benefits and the deadline you can't afford to miss.

They explain why making a small contribution before year-end could mean more room and more opportunity down the road.

Convinced inflation would soar, governments would lose control, and precious metals were the only safe bet, he put everything into silver. And technically, he was right. It hit $50 an ounce… 17 years later.

On this week’s Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg revisit that story to explore what it teaches about timing, behaviour, and the bigger truth: time in the market beats timing the market every time.

Greg and Colin dig into the real costs behind Canada’s national pension, how it stacks up against low-fee investing, and what it teaches us about simplicity, transparency, and discipline in your own portfolio.

It sounds cheap at 0.26%, but that’s just the tip of a $7 billion iceberg once you factor in performance fees, transaction costs, and operating expenses.

According to Greg and Colin on this week of the Free Lunch Podcast they are: staying diversified, staying disciplined, and staying calm.

They unpack how to think about:

💰 Bonds & cash in your portfolio.

🏠 Mortgage renewals & rate holds.

🧾 End-of-year tax moves.

😴 Retirement “sleep-at-night” planning.

This week, Colin and Greg reflect on the life and legacy of Jonathan Clements, the longtime Wall Street Journal columnist whose insights helped redefine how we think about money, happiness, and simplicity.

Jonathan’s approach really aligns with what we try to do here, cutting through the noise, finding clarity in uncertainty, and reminding people that even if the market’s at an all-time high… so is milk production. 🥛

From Google searches to client service, every conversation circled back to how artificial intelligence is reshaping the industry.

On this week’s episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg reflect on Colin’s time at Future Proof, and why, despite AI’s power, nothing can replace human trust and behavioural coaching.

🎧 A must-listen for anyone curious about what AI means for the future of advice.

Tuition, books, housing, can quickly add up to $20,000+ per year.

In this week’s episode, Colin and Greg break down the real costs of post-secondary education and explore smart ways to fund it, including:

✅ Student loans, grants & bursaries

✅ RESPs (and how to make the most of government grants)

✅ What happens if your child doesn’t go to school

✅ Why TFSAs can be a hidden funding tool

❓ Diversification increases expected stock returns.

❓ Owning Canadian banks, pipelines, and utilities is enough diversification.

❓ Most active fund managers outperform their benchmarks over time.

If you hesitated on any of these, this week’s episode is for you. Colin and Greg break down why diversification is really about protecting against risk, how home bias trips Canadians up, and why global exposure makes all the difference.

And the cost of everyday life feels it.

On this episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Greg explore how U.S. policy shifts ripple through interest rates, inflation, and portfolios around the world. They discuss... 🌎💼 

✔️ The hidden inflation driver no one talks about.

✔️ Why Fed decisions matter beyond the U.S.

✔️ How to position portfolios when volatility returns.

🎧 A must-listen for anyone trying to make sense of today’s economic headlines.

This week on the Free Lunch Podcast, Canvas Wealth sits down with Jonathan Ng to unpack the complexities of wills, probate, and property across provinces (and even outside of Canada).

From cabins in B.C. to bank accounts in Ontario, they explore what executors and families need to know, and when a “skeleton key” will is enough, or when a second will might save time, money, and stress.

🎧 This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about how provincial laws can affect their legacy.

In this episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Colin sit down with special guest Carl Richards, author, and creator of The Behavior Gap, to talk about his new book Your Money.

They explore why financial planning is less about spreadsheets and more about meaning, values, and the conversations we have never been taught to have.

🎧 If money conversations have ever left you feeling stressed, uncertain, or even frustrated, this episode is for you.

But for incorporated business owners, it can be one of the most effective ways to build retirement wealth.

In this episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Canvas Wealth welcomes Tatenda Maywoyo of GBL Inc., to explain what IPPs are, who they’re for, and why they’re a hidden gem in Canadian retirement planning.

 🎧 If you’ve ever wondered whether an IPP could work for you, this episode explains it all.

Would you buy a house? Travel the world? Or maybe just stock up on Kraft Dinner like the Barenaked Ladies sing about?

 In this episode of the Free Lunch Podcast, Canvas Wealth explores the playful lyrics of If I Had $1,000,000 alongside the deep insights from Dr. Daniel Crosby’s book The Soul of Wealth.

They unpack the four core purposes of money:

1️⃣ safety, 2️⃣ autonomy, 3️⃣ mastery, and 4️⃣ purpose.

In this special episode, Canvas sits down with Jacob and special guest Èmile, two finance students balancing bartending, trading, and navigating their first steps into the industry.

They talk markets, mentorship, behavioural bias, bonds (yes, bonds), and the biggest surprises that come with going from spreadsheets to real people and real portfolios.

🎧 Whether you're seasoned or just starting out, this one’s a candid, energetic look at what it really means to build a career in finance.

Now? AI, CRM systems, and customized pools are shaping the way advice is delivered, and relationships are built.

This week, Colin continues his conversation with Greg Kraminsky in part two of their reflection on 30+ years of change in the investment world. They unpack the real evolution: not just in products and technology, but in purpose, relationships, and trust.

🎧 From regulatory shifts and tech revolutions to the human side of advice, this episode is a candid look at how far the industry has come, and where it’s heading next.

This week, Colin sits down with Greg to revisit what the world of advice looked like in the 90s and how it has evolved over the past three decades.

From the days of paper forms and product pitches to purpose-driven conversations and personalized planning, it’s a look at how far the profession and expectations have come.

This week, Colin and Karyn share 12 steps to help cut through the noise and bring some calmness back into your financial mindset.

From tuning out market headlines to trusting your process, they explore what has helped people stay on track, and what creates distraction.

🎧If you’ve ever wondered whether “timing the market” is a real thing (spoiler: it's not), or why some approaches just feel safer, this one’s worth a listen.

Colin and Greg break down the story of Bobby Bonilla, a retired MLB player who still collects a cheque every July 1st thanks to one clever contract that turned into decades of steady income.

They unpack why consistency and patience often outperform perfect timing, and how you can apply these lessons to your own financial plans.

They share what it’s like to step away from the familiar and what they have gained in the process.

Colin sits down with Greg Kraminsky, longtime advisor, recent retiree, and returning voice to the podcast, to talk about the shift from planning retirement for clients… to living it himself.

From navigating long, unstructured days, to finding purpose beyond work, and to why financial peace of mind isn’t the only thing that matters, this episode is full of real talk on what retirement actually looks like.

Whether you're already retired or just thinking ahead, it’s a conversation worth listening to. 

Colin and Karyn sit down with Ryan Ackers, Senior Vice President at Growth and Corporate development with GBL, to unpack the Supplemental Executive Retirement plan. What it is, how it works, and why more companies are using it to support long-term planning for key talent.

From compensation design to funding mechanics and flexibility, they explore how SERPs fit into a broader strategy for employers and executives alike.

Whether you're a business owner, executive, advisor, or just SERP curious this conversation is one to listen to.

Colin and Karyn get candid about what it really means to be a dad in today’s world and why mental health needs to be part of the conversation. From financial stress and parenting pressures to societal expectations and silent burnout, they unpack 10 major challenges men face, especially fathers and offer practical, compassionate tools to help lighten the load.

Whether you're a dad, love a dad, or support one, this conversation matters.

Spoiler alert: the answer may surprise you.

From saving strategies to estate planning, this heartfelt episode explores how financial security can be the most meaningful gift of all. Listen and enjoy the show!

Tune in and enjoy the show!

Here are some of our favourites if you want to add to your list!

📚 Foundational Investing Books

These form the bedrock of investing knowledge.

• The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham: The bible of value investing; timeless lessons on risk and discipline.
• Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher: Introduced the idea of qualitative analysis and "scuttlebutt" research.
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel: Covers everything from index funds to behavioral finance; great for all levels.
• One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch: Simple strategies to find winning stocks as an everyday investor.
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle: Bogle's no-nonsense guide to passive, low-cost index investing.

🧠 Behavioural Finance & Psychology

Understand the why behind investor decisions.

• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: Short, powerful stories about how people think about wealth, greed, and happiness.
• The Behavioral Investor by Daniel Crosby: In-depth look at how psychology drives poor investment decisions.
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler: How economic decision-making often defies rational logic.
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: Explains cognitive biases that impact judgment — including in finance.

💼 Portfolio Management & Strategy

More sophisticated frameworks for wealth building.

• Unconventional Success by David Swensen: Yale's endowment manager explains why most investors should avoid active funds.
• Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein: A sweeping history of how humans learned to understand and manage risk.
• The Most Important Thing by Howard Marks: Legendary investor shares key insights on risk, cycles, and second-level thinking.
• Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: For those interested in systems that benefit from volatility and uncertainty.

🚀 Bonus: Modern & Practical

For today's fast-moving financial landscape.

• I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi: Actionable personal finance for millennials and Gen Z, with a side of humor.
• The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, Michael LeBoeuf: A step-by-step, practical investing guide rooted in Bogle’s principles.
• Just Keep Buying by Nick Maggiulli: Data-driven decisions on when to spend, save, and invest.
• The Laws of Wealth by Daniel Crosby: A blend of practical investing advice and behavioral insight.
• Flash Boys by Michael Lewis: A look into high-frequency trading and how markets have evolved with technology.
• The One-Page Financial Plan by Carl Richards: Simple strategies for aligning your money with your life.

From money worries to comparison traps, they explore ways to reframe financial anxiety and build resilience. Plus, Monique will share practical tips to take control of your financial future without losing sleep over it. Listen and enjoy!

They also unpack zero-sum games, active vs. passive investing, and whether hedge funds live up to the hype. Listen and enjoy the show!