A number of people have asked questions about my background and why I've put this website up so I figured that this would be as good a place as any to answer those questions.
I spent 16 years in the investment industry, both internationally and in Canada, working for pension and mutual fund managers. I did not manage money but had daily contact with portfolio managers and thus was in a situation where osmosis was able to work.
I decided to "retire" in 1995 to go cruising full time on a one sailboat, Royal Lion, and then another, Moongate, with my wife and three children. So we sold the house, put books and personal effects into an 8' x 10' storage unit, severed all ties with Canada, and headed south. In 2001, we returned to Canada, settling in Peterborough, Ontario where I quickly realized that I could not wear a tie without choking or shoes without tripping. That meant the final acceptance of not going back to the corporate world. What we had saved was what there was; at age 52, I was still a long way from the age when the flow of funds between me and the government would reverse. While out cruising, our portfolio had been conservative and passive, mostly bonds, because I had neither the tools nor the inclination to do much care and feeding. Now that I was ashore, I reverted to what I knew and began re-using what I had learned during the years of association with portfolio managers to grow our savings and generate an income stream. As I progressed, I decided that I had truly been fortunate and that it was time to give something back and this website was born. It has been a wonderful experience; it has led me to some really great people.
Brief Bio Stuff: