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About

 Thanks for visiting my web page!  My name is John Jakobs and I live in Sherwood Park, AB.  I obtained my BSc. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Alberta and I am a Professional Engineer with lifetime status in the Province of Alberta.

I am eager to share my passion for finance to deliver exceptional financial plans tailored to you needs and at low cost.  This is especially important in an industry where commissions, quotas, and other conflicts of interest get in the way of you receiving the trustworthy financial advice you deserve. By using the very latest (and best, in my opinion) financial planning software my clients get plans delivered in an engaging and intuitive way where we can collaborate real-time on strategies and what if analysis.

That's really the bottom line here - by working with me, you will get rock-solid financial planning, goal setting, and decision advice that is 100% delivered with your best interests in mind - all at a very fair price.

Planning Certifications

I am working on my financial planning certification and have completed all Certified Financial Planner (CFP) core curriculum courses. I am an avid reader of finance and planning books and publications and keep up to date with the industry by following numerous blogs and podcasts.

I have also helped many clients with their finances and retirement plans already and I use the latest industry leading planning software.  You can read more about this in the Testimonials section of my site.  I can also provide detailed case studies to further illustrate the type and quality of advice I provide.  Contact Me to get a copy of these studies.

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What should I do with my portfolio in 2025 (or the Fine Art of Doing Nothing)?

I've been asked a few times quite recently some variation of the following question: "Given the recent political turmoil, especially with Canada and the US, what should  I do with my portfolio?   Should I have more/less US dollars?   More (or less) US equities? What about Canadian stocks?"      The  short answer is I have no idea nor does anyone else and so staying the course is usually your best option.  That is, one of your most important investing skills is the ability to do nothing. At first glance, this might not seem like a skill at all. Isn't investing about making timely decisions, identifying opportunities, and reacting to market movements?  For a select few maybe, but successful retail investors, especially when facing unsteady or volatile markets, practice the fine art  of doing nothing. Why Do Nothing? The Nature of Markets: Markets are inherently cyclical. They experience periods of growth followed by inevi...
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Optimizing RRSP withdrawals with CPP

Dan and Kate McGlovin are both 60 years old and have just retired.   They each have exactly $500,000 in RRSP savings and both of them will receive 85% of their CPP and 100% of their OAS at age 65. They own a house worth $700,000 that is mortgage free.  They have no other savings, no pensions, no debt, and no kids.  Their RRSPs are invested in a low cost balanced asset allocation ETF which consists of 60% globally diversified equities (stocks) and 40% bonds.  The expected return on this ETF is 5.22% less management expense fees of 0.25% for a total annual return of 4.97%.  Inflation is assumed to run at 2.2% per year and we have set their life expectancy at 95. They plan to take OAS at age 65. Also, Dan and Kate want to live in their house until they die and want to pass the proceeds of their estate to their favourite charity upon their death.  In other words, they do not want to use their home equity to fund their retirement. How Much can Dan and Kate ...
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Start asking yourself $30,000 Questions

Have you ever sat down and thought about what that daily $3 coffee is costing you in lost savings?  If you have, by the way, you're not alone, there's even a popular book about it called The Latte Factor .  Or maybe you've decided to setup a budget - you download a budgeting app and start tracking each and every expense, only to abandon it two months later because it's just too much work. With personal finance, it's easy to get  caught up in the details of everyday expenses. However, author and financial expert Ramit Sethi in his book  I Will Teach You to Be Rich ,  suggests a different approach: asking $30,000 questions before focusing on the less important $3 questions. His idea is to prioritize significant and material financial decisions that have an outsized potential to build wealth, success, and happiness.  That is, he suggests spending way more time researching and considering important life decisions versus trivial day-to-day decisio...
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