About AskMoneyLady

Christine Ibbotson is an Canadian Author, National and Syndicated News Columnist, and Professional Financial Speaker and Presenter. She also has three radio shows called the “Ask The Money Lady Minute,” “Your Money Today” and a live-call in show called “Ask The Money Lady.” She writes for over 630 Newspapers in Canada with over 21 million readers and is heard on 327 radio stations across Canada. Christine is the Author of her book entitled "How to Retire Debt Free & Wealthy" available on Amazon and Indigo. In How to Retire Debt-Free and Wealthy, Christine offers accessible and realistic guidelines in a series of achievable steps, from debt elimination to wealth management, teaching readers how to create their own customizable financial plans.

I have a small business and I hate hiring millennials. They want to work as little as possible, they have useless credentials, and they are too idealistic. Do you agree?

2023-04-15T11:54:36-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips, In the News|

No, I don’t agree! I have heard these comments more often than I would like to admit from readers and I got to say people – wake up! Millennials are the generation that those of us in our 50’s and 60’s should have been. When we got jobs in the 70’s and 80’s we were told by our parents to be grateful for the work, to put your head [...]

Could you please address retiring alone – I always hear comments about “couples” retiring, but I have always been single, and I would like you to comment about all us “singles” that have to retire soon.

2023-04-15T11:47:20-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

It is very common now for Canadians to retire as a single – either by divorce or death or maybe never marrying in the first place. In the past, retirement was seen as a “couple event,” but this is no longer the case. The fact is, even if you are a couple now, there is a strong likelihood that you will find yourself single at some point during your [...]

I really can’t handle the stock market so I wondered if you could write about investing in bonds?

2023-04-15T11:40:34-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

Great question – there are a lot of people who feel the same way. Trading in bonds seems to be less enticing to the average investor and it surprises me how this market is often overlooked, so thank you for asking about it. Bonds seem to get a lot of bad press, and they lack the media sensation of stock spikes in the market. Let’s start with the basics [...]

I want to tell you a story of a dear friend of mine…

2023-04-15T11:27:08-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

But first, do you ever look back over your life with resentment? A missed opportunity, a career failure, job loss, divorce, or even financial ruin. We all do, some more than others, and the longer you live, the more you will have. It is hard to let go, especially when financial resentment can leave us open to even more self-sabotaging financial behaviour that grows over time if we don’t [...]

After going through the last few years with COVID, I have decided I don’t want to work anymore. Can you tell me how much I would “really need” to retire now?

2023-04-15T11:22:09-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

Well, isn’t that a loaded question? Today, there are so many Canadians that have emailed me asking the exact same thing. They don’t want to go back to the pre-COVID work situation of 9 to 5 in the office with the added drudgery of commuting every day. Many people are now wanting to retire earlier or at least change their work situation after COVID. So, can you retire now? [...]

Can you explain what mutual funds are and which ones I should consider?

2023-04-15T11:16:43-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

Let’s start by giving you a general overview of what a mutual fund is and why you should use it when investing. A mutual fund (MF), is just that – a fund of different types of products such as stocks, bonds, and money markets. When you invest in a MF you invest money into the fund with everyone else, and by doing so, your contribution is measured in units. [...]

I’m in my 30’s and want to know how to save my first $50,000 – any help?

2023-04-15T11:08:55-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

What a great question! There are some basic ways to save regardless of your age. Of course, if you are young and just starting out, adopting the right habits will benefit you immensely, perhaps even for your entire lifetime. Saving must be a conscious decision you make to yourself that requires long-term discipline. Actually James, these principles can be applied to anything that is important to you, such as, [...]

Let’s talk about Option Trading – Have you tried it?

2023-04-15T11:02:52-04:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

My son who is in his mid-twenties with two degrees in physics and mathematics, seems to think he can take on the stock market through options trading, so today we are going to talk about this type of investment strategy. Options and forwards are quite a complicated model even though there are many investors who think they can master them. Essentially you will use a security or derivative in [...]

Dear Money Lady Readers: Why do we have trouble saving money?

2023-02-26T19:20:15-05:00By |Daily Advice Tips|

Everyone can agree that improving our daily habits should greatly impact our life and our future, yet we all tend to do the same things every day, rather than something better. Many people walk through life in a cognitive slumber, blindly following the norms attached to their identity. “I’m terrible with directions.” “I’m not good with technology.” “I’m not a morning person.” Why is it so easy to repeat [...]

Why are so many Canadians still struggling with money when we have such a large banking industry that says it wants to help us?

2023-02-26T19:12:28-05:00By |Uncategorized|

Today Canada is dominated by five large banks, that now control 91% of the entire Canadian financial service industry, with approximately $4 Trillion in assets. The Royal Bank’s recent purchase of HSBC only amplifies this fact. Many may think that there are larger industries in Canada, however as of 2021 the financial sector is now the largest industry in terms of employment in Canada. There now is so much [...]

Go to Top