Should I invest my $100,000 inheritance or pay off debt? + MORE May 21st

Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:
Toronto Stock Exchange (13,919.58, up 102.26 points):
B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Miner. Down one cent, or 0.38 per cent, to $2.64 on 12.4 million shares.
Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX:LAC). Miner. Up seven cents, or 8.64 per cent, to 88 cents on 8.8 million shares.
Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Oil and gas. Down 19 cents, or 1.92 per cent, to $9.71 on eight million shares.
Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX:YRI). Miner. Down three cents, or 0.48 per cent, to $6.22 on 7.1 million shares.
Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Miner. Up five cents, or 0.78 per cent, to $6.50 on 6.7 million shares.
Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (TSX:SSL). Miner. Down 18 cents, or 3.33 per cent, to $5.22 on 6.7 million shares.
Companies reporting major news:
Bell Canada (TSX:BCE). Telecommunications. Up 34 cents, or 0.57 per cent, to $60.34 on 1.5 million shares. Bell is promising to upgrade cellular coverage along a key Manitoba highway as part of its purchase of Manitoba Telecom Services (TSX:MBT) (up 22 cents, or 0…

The Canada Pension Plan will generate only a 2.1% real rate of return for Canadian workers starting out today, concludes Rates of Return for the Canada Pension Plan (May 2016) by Jason Clemens and Joel Emes of the Fraser Institute. Therefore, we Canadians seem to be invited to further conclude (given the Fraser Institute’s past attacks on the idea of expanding the CPP), that’s a very poor investment and therefore a good reason for Canadians not to support expansion of the CPP.Telling half the story truthfully is a sly way to debate an issue. Clemens and Emes appear to have crunched the numbers properly. Here’s what they forgot or neglected to say.2.1% compared to what? – For CPP to be judged as poor, it needs to be compared against a realistic alternative that covers both the savings phase and the retirement phase of life, such as an RRSP and a life annuity. I calculated and posted such a review in 2015 and found that the relative attractiveness of the CPP varied enormously according to whether the person is a man or woman, single or married, and self-employed or an employee…

Parents of two toddlers wonder whether mom can afford to avoid full-time employment while still achieving the family’s financial goals

Marcin (left) and Shannon (Photograph by Cole Burston)
In our April 2016 issue of MoneySense, we introduced you to Shannon Jarrett, 37, and her partner Marcin Duran, 34. They’re trying to track their money, come up with shared goals and cash in bad habits.  Throughout the year we’ll be giving them a financial challenge every month to help them get her finances in tip top shape. Make sure to follow along! Their last challenge had them hunkering down for a money date and things got real.
Challenge No. 2

Shannon and Marcin’s second challenge was to do some research to figure out if rolling their $26,000 in personal debt into their mortgage was a good option for them. If so, could Shannon and Marcin agree on making personal debt repayment a priority? And could they agree on an amount that both Marcin and Shannon would contribute to this? We asked MoneySense Approved financial advisor Rona Birenbaum to have a half-hour phone conversation with the two to see if they could reach an agreement…

Faced with a long commute, close to $300,000 in debt and plans to have kids, a millennial couple struggle to decide their next financial – and lifestyle – move