How much you need to retire at age 55 in small-town Ontario + MORE Dec 3rd

Chris P. and his wife Anne are both 36 years old and live in a small rural town in northern Ontario. Chris is a safety inspector and Anne works as an administrative assistant. The couple also has three boys under the age of eight. “We’re busy,” says Chris, whose wife Anne just returned to work earlier this month after her third maternity leave. “With hockey, baseball, soccer and lots of nature walks with the kids, we try to fill our spare time with doing activities with the boys,” says Anne.
The couple has a household income of $115,000 with Chris being the highest income earner in the family, earning $90,000 and Anne earnings $25,000. Both work full-time. And even though they have large expenses on their budget these days—daycare is about $9,400 a year while food and groceries—including diapers and other baby products—comes in at about $20,000 annually. “With three kids, expenses can be high but we are still very much savers,” says Chris. “It’s our good savings habits over the last 10 years that have allowed us to build up our retirement savings…

MetroNews Canada'Don't do drugs' won't work: BC coronerMetroNews CanadaB.C.-based Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services used this funeral stock image with the caption "Will fentanyl be the reason for your next family get-together?" in a fall 2017 drug education campaign that garnered rebuke from B.C.'s Chief Coroner …and more »

Buying a laggard among the five biggest names in the banking sector works more often than it misfires

This company has little business paying a dividend in the first place

Bitcoin
The bitcoin buzz has turned up a few more notches, a tonne more than is healthy for any serious investment vehicle. But it’s hardly surprising considering its value has increased about tenfold this year, smashing last week through an US$11,000 per unit valuation. At one point last week it gained US$1,000 in just 12 hours – a terrific way to make a bundle for anyone who could time that right. Market cap has surpassed a staggering US$250 billion.
Similarly ethereum, a rival cryptocurrency started in Canada and a popular platform for app developers, has hit a record high. It’s currently trading around US$442 with a market cap of more than US$42 billion.
In a milestone move, the CME Group said Friday it would bring bitcoin out of the Wild West and into the mainstream a bit, by offering investors the opportunity to trade bitcoin futures, with a traditional trading window and circuit filters that would not only curb volatility but give skeptics a chance to sell the market short…