In my previous life I was immersed in the world of software development, and it still influences how I think and work today.

In that world, there is a time honoured tradition that the first program used to introduce newbies to a programming language is “Hello World”. It is short and simple, yet can provide some valuable insights.

A sample “Hello World!” program in C++.
Yes, I’m a computer nerd. I’m a money nerd too.

While the first two adjectives above don’t describe me (perhaps debatable?), I do hope to provide the latter.

When it comes to their finances, Canadians don’t need MORE data… there is a TON of data out there already on every subject you can imagine. What they need are insights to help make sense of all the information and conflicting opinions, to simplify the jargon and cut through the BS, to understand in practical terms how it impacts their lives and finances, and to help them answer the question “Now What?”.

With this blog I hope to share my thoughts and perspective as a “logic and numbers” guy, but also – thanks to my experience as a money coach and fee-for-service financial planner – some of the more subtle factors that affect our attitudes and behaviours around money. I’ll also comment on how the financial advice industry operates, to what degree it serves the needs of Canadians, and discuss some ideas regarding how it might be made better. I hope that being both part of the industry yet outside its mainstream will allow me to bring a fairly unique perspective.

So Hello World. It’s good to be here.