Plain English Finance

Tré Bynoe CFP®, CIM®
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The Plain English Finance podcast is hosted by Tré Bynoe CFP® CIM®, a financial planner with TCU Wealth Management and Aviso Wealth.  While Tré specializes in working with families with more complicated finances, typically involving corporations and trusts, this podcast is for anyone wanting to learn how to make high-quality decisions based on evidence, to give themselves the highest likelihood of financial success.  You should always consult with your financial, legal, and tax advisors before making changes.  This podcast is provided as a general source of information and should not be considered personal investment advice or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. The views expressed are those of the individual and are not necessarily those of Aviso Financial Inc.  Mutual funds and other securities are offered through Aviso Wealth, a division of Aviso Financial Inc. 

  1. 18h ago

    Do Financial Planners Judge Your Money Decisions? | Ep. 63

    Send us Fan Mail What is it actually like to be married to a financial planner? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Sierra and Tré talk about the pros, cons, myths, and awkward social dynamics that come with being married to someone who works in financial planning. The conversation covers financial literacy, complacency, money mistakes, judgment, family expectations, lending money, and the pressure people sometimes feel when money comes up socially.  One of the biggest benefits is having someone deeply invested in the family’s financial picture. But one of the biggest risks is becoming too dependent on that person and not developing your own financial knowledge. Sierra talks about the temptation to default to Tré, while Tré explains why he still wants her involved in day-to-day financial decisions.  In this episode, we discuss:  The obvious pros of being married to a financial planner  Why financial knowledge can create complacency  Why both spouses still need to understand the family finances  Why financial planners are still human and make mistakes  A real example involving property taxes early in marriage  Why people sometimes over-explain their spending around financial professionals  Whether financial planners are silently judging your choices  Why social money conversations can feel awkward  Why one-off financial decisions usually lack enough context to judge  The pressure to appear successful when people know what you do  Driving an older car while working in wealth management  First-generation wealth and family expectations  The difference between helping and enabling  Why lending money to friends or family can damage relationships  Why gifts and loans should be treated very differentlyWebsite | Youtube | Linkedin

  2. Aug 7

    The Default Retirement Decisions Most People Get Wrong | Ep. 62

    Send us Fan Mail What retirement decisions should you make if you don't know where to start? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra discuss a “default decision” framework for retirement planning. The goal is not to pretend there is one perfect answer for everyone. The goal is to start with a reasonable default, then ask: why might this not apply to me? This episode focuses on several major retirement decisions: when to withdraw from RRSPs, when to take CPP and Old Age Security, how to think about investment allocation, and which retirement risks are worth taking versus avoiding. For retirees with enough assets that they are not forced to withdraw just to pay bills, the planning question often shifts from “where do I get income?” to “how do I draw income tax-efficiently?” That can make RRSP withdrawals, CPP timing, OAS clawback planning, and investment structure much more important. In this episode, we discuss:  Why default decisions can help simplify retirement planning  When to start withdrawing from RRSPs  Why low-income retirement years may be useful RRSP withdrawal years  Why RRSP taxes will eventually be paid either during life or at death  Why delaying CPP and Old Age Security can be powerful  Why CPP and OAS are more than just “extra pension money”  How OAS clawback can make certain income ranges very expensive  Why the fixed-income part of a portfolio should have a clear job  Why reducing volatility is not the only reason to own fixed income  How a cash wedge or war chest can protect retirement spending  Why each dollar in retirement should have a purpose  Why inflation may be more dangerous than market volatility  Why individual business risk can be disastrous in retirement  Why diversification should make every bad thing hurt a little, but nothing hurt a lotWebsite | Youtube | Linkedin

  3. Jul 31

    Don’t Hire an Advisor Without Asking This | Ep. 61

    Send us Fan Mail Does your financial advisor have a clear investment philosophy? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra discuss why your investment strategy should not be treated as a random collection of products, funds, trends or one-off opinions. The way you invest affects the rest of your financial plan, including tax planning, retirement income, corporate investing, asset location and how much risk you are actually taking.  The key idea is that there are many valid ways to invest, but your investment approach needs to be consistent enough that the planning around it still works. A high-dividend strategy, momentum strategy, index-based strategy, active stock-picking strategy or conservative fixed-income approach can each create different tax, income and risk outcomes. That means the “best” strategy is not just the one that sounds good. It is the one you understand, can stick with, and can build a real financial plan around.  In this episode, we discuss:  What an investment philosophy actually means  Why there is no single perfect way to invest  Why your advisor should be able to explain and defend their philosophy  Why changing one part of the portfolio can affect the rest of the plan  Why high-dividend strategies sound appealing but can create planning issues  Why corporate owners need to think carefully about investment income  How passive income rules can be affected by portfolio income  Why momentum strategies can work but may create higher volatility and tax drag  Why fixed income should have a defined role in the plan  Why “we customize everything” can sometimes be a red flag  Why your investment plan and tax plan need to be connected  What to ask an advisor before trusting them with your portfolio The main point is simple: You do not need to understand every investment philosophy in the world. But you do need to understand the one being used with your money. If an advisor cannot explain their investment philosophy in plain English, that is a problem. If they can explain it, but you cannot stick with it when markets are uncomfortable, that is also a problem. Website | Youtube | Linkedin

  4. Jul 24

    BONUS: The Market Won’t Wait Until You Feel Better | Q2 2026 Review

    Send us Fan Mail Markets do not wait until investors feel comfortable again. In this Q2 2026 market review, Tré Bynoe, CFP®, CIM®, looks at what happened across Canadian stocks, U.S. stocks, international stocks and bonds from mid-2025 to mid-2026, then focuses on the more important lesson: long-term returns are never experienced in a smooth straight line. The past year showed why reacting emotionally to market declines can be costly. Canadian stocks returned approximately 32%, U.S. stocks approximately 27%, international stocks approximately 25%, Canadian bonds approximately 3.5%, and global bonds approximately 1.5% over the period discussed in the episode.  But the real lesson is not which market performed best. Recent returns tell us what happened, not what will happen next, and using short-term performance as a forecast can lead investors into poor decisions.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why markets can recover before the headlines improve  Why waiting for certainty is so difficult to execute  What Q2 2026 showed investors about volatility  Why long-term returns feel much worse while you are living through them  Why getting out of the market creates a second hard decision: when to get back in  Why diversification means something in your portfolio will usually disappoint you  Why a portfolio should not depend on guessing the next winning asset class  Why bonds and cash still matter when equities are performing well  Why short-term spending needs should not be invested in equities  Why volatility is a feature of markets, not a flaw  Why the right plan needs to exist before the next market declineWebsite | Youtube | Linkedin

  5. Jul 17

    Your Password Isn’t Enough Anymore | Ep. 60

    Send us Fan Mail Does it feel like staying safe online is getting harder? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra talk about one simple digital safety step that more people need to understand: using an authenticator app for two-factor authentication. This is especially important for bank accounts, email accounts, MyCRA, investment accounts, shopping accounts, and anything else that could cause serious problems if someone gained access.  Scammers are getting better, passwords are getting leaked, and older family members are often being asked to make a technology leap that feels overwhelming. A username and password may have been enough years ago, but today they are often not enough to keep important accounts safe.  In this episode, we discuss:  What an authenticator app is  How two-factor authentication works  Why passwords alone are outdated  Why leaked usernames and passwords are such a problem  Why authenticator apps are stronger than relying only on passwords  Why older adults are especially vulnerable to online scams  How scammers use fear, urgency, and emotion  Why you should protect email, banking, CRA, and investment accounts first  Why the human being is usually the weak point, not the technology  How authentication apps use changing codes  Why setting this up may feel annoying but is worth it  How trusted contacts can help prevent scams  A real family story involving a fake emergency phone scam  Why AI and voice scams may make this problem worse The main point is simple: If an account matters to you, protect it with two-factor authentication. Website | Youtube | Linkedin

  6. Jul 10

    3 Warning Signs Your Corporate Wealth Plan Isn’t Working | Ep. 59

    Send us Fan Mail How do you know if the way you are managing wealth inside your corporation is actually working? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra discuss three warning signs that a corporation owner may not have a real financial plan: too much idle corporate cash, an advisor who is not discussing taxes, and no clear exit strategy for the business. The episode also includes a bonus red flag: using the exact same investments across your TFSA, RRSP, and corporate account without considering tax efficiency or asset location.  For Canadian corporation owners, incorporated professionals and business owners, these issues can become expensive because mistakes compound quietly. A strategy that feels “fine” today can create tax, investment and planning problems years later when the money matters most.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why corporate cash sitting in a chequing account may be a red flag  How much operating cash a business may actually need  Why excess corporate cash should have a defined purpose  Why setting up the right accounts early can prevent years of delay  Why not every advisor is a financial planner  Why not every financial planner specializes in corporations  Why tax planning matters when investing outside RRSPs and TFSAs  Why business owners should understand their eventual exit strategy  How selling shares, winding down a business, or retiring can create different tax issues  Why the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption and corporate structure can matter  Why identical portfolios across TFSA, RRSP and corporate accounts may signal weak asset-location planning  Why good intentions from an advisor do not guarantee good advice The main idea is simple: if your corporation is accumulating wealth, you need more than an investment account. You need a structure for deciding how much cash to keep in the business, what to invest, where to locate assets, and how today’s decisions affect your future exit, retirement, and taxes. A corporation can be a powerful financial planning tool, but only if the plan is deliberate. Website | Youtube | Linkedin

  7. Jul 2

    Should You Use Your TFSA to Buy a House? | Ep. 58

    Send us Fan Mail Should you use your TFSA to buy a home, or leave it invested and use a different strategy? In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra work through a real planning puzzle: someone wants to buy a home, has money in both a non-registered investment account and a TFSA, and needs to decide whether using the TFSA creates a better long-term outcome. The answer depends on tax deductibility, investment returns, taxable income, how quickly the TFSA can be replenished, and whether the borrowed money is actually used to invest.  The key issue is that mortgage interest on a personal home is normally paid with after-tax dollars, whereas interest on money borrowed for investment may be deductible if certain conditions are met. In this case, using the TFSA helped pay off the home purchase fully, then allowed a larger investment loan to be created in a non-registered account. That created a larger potential interest deduction, but it also meant temporarily giving up tax-free TFSA growth.  In this episode, we discuss:  Whether it makes sense to use a TFSA for a home purchase  Why mortgage interest for a personal home is different from investment-loan interest  Why the paper trail matters when borrowing to invest  Why borrowed money cannot be used inside a TFSA or RRSP for this strategy  The trade-off between tax-free TFSA growth and deductible investment-loan interest  Why taxable income and tax bracket matter  Why investment allocation and risk tolerance matter  Why tax drag matters in non-registered accounts  Why active management can change the tax result  How quickly replenishing the TFSA can change the answer  Why the result may flip depending on market returns  Why this kind of decision needs actual planning, not rules of thumbWebsite | Youtube | Linkedin

  8. Jun 26

    Why Investing Gets Complicated for Corporation Owners | Ep.57

    Send us Fan Mail Investing gets more complicated once you move beyond RRSPs, TFSAs and simple registered accounts. For Canadian corporation owners, incorporated professionals, and investors with taxable accounts, the type of income your investments generate can matter almost as much as the return itself. In this episode of the Plain English Finance Podcast, Tré and Sierra discuss three core investment concepts that help explain how financial planning, tax planning and portfolio construction fit together for corporation owners. The episode focuses on investment income types, how to think about risk, and why a consistent investment philosophy matters when taxes and corporate accounts are involved. In this episode, we discuss:  Why investing becomes more complicated in non-registered and corporate accounts  The three main types of investment income: interest, capital gains and dividends  Why GICs, bonds and fixed income create interest income  Why capital gains are treated differently from interest income  Why Canadian dividends can have a different tax profile  Why RRSPs change the tax treatment of investment income  Why asset location matters across RRSPs, personal taxable accounts and corporations  Why “risk” should not only mean volatility  Why fixed income may become riskier over long timeframes  Why market ups and downs are a feature, not a flaw  Why low-cost, globally diversified investments can simplify planning  Why turnover matters in taxable accounts  How active management can create unexpected taxable capital gains  Why corporate investment decisions should be made with tax drag in mindLearn more about working with Tré Bynoe, CFP®, CIM®:  https://trebynoe.ca This podcast is provided as a general source of information and should not be considered personal investment, tax or legal advice. Consult your financial, legal and tax professionals before making changes to your financial plan. Website | Youtube | Linkedin

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About

The Plain English Finance podcast is hosted by Tré Bynoe CFP® CIM®, a financial planner with TCU Wealth Management and Aviso Wealth.  While Tré specializes in working with families with more complicated finances, typically involving corporations and trusts, this podcast is for anyone wanting to learn how to make high-quality decisions based on evidence, to give themselves the highest likelihood of financial success.  You should always consult with your financial, legal, and tax advisors before making changes.  This podcast is provided as a general source of information and should not be considered personal investment advice or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. The views expressed are those of the individual and are not necessarily those of Aviso Financial Inc.  Mutual funds and other securities are offered through Aviso Wealth, a division of Aviso Financial Inc. 

Information

  • Creator
    Tré Bynoe CFP®, CIM®
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Plain English Finance
  • Show Website
    Plain English Finance