Short Takes: Optimal Asset Allocation, Foreign Withholding Taxes, and more

I wrote another 3 posts this week:

Telling Us What We Want to Hear about Our Retirement Magic Numbers

The Double-Up GIC

Double-Up GIC – the Catch

Here are some short takes and some weekend reading:

Canadian Couch Potato answers a reader question about how to find the optimal portfolio asset allocation percentages. Within reason, just about any allocation percentages can work out well if you stick to them. If you keep tinkering so that you’re a closet active investor, you may be headed for poor results.

In another good post, Canadian Couch Potato shows how to work out the foreign withholding tax cost of ETFs holding foreign stocks. Fortunately, he works out all the details for many different ETFs.

The Blunt Bean Counter has part 5 of his series on how much money you need to retire.

My Own Advisor explains why he is keeping his 14-year old car.

Big Cajun Man thinks that any income you have to declare on your taxes for bank account interest should be net of bank account fees.

Million Dollar Journey shows how you can save money with instructions on doing your own snow blower maintenance.