Stress Test

The Globe and Mail

You had your best-laid plans and then COVID-19 came along and hammered the entire economy. But you’ve got this – if you have the right information. Join The Globe and Mail’s personal finance team, columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw, as they guide you through one of the biggest stress tests your finances will ever face. If you’re between 20 and 40, this financial advice is for you. read less

Our Editor's Take

Global economies are changing at a pace never before seen in human history. Stress Test is a podcast that focuses on providing financial advice. While the show's advice is designed for millennials and Gen Z listeners, fans of all ages may appreciate the program.

Stress Test is a production of The Globe and Mail, one of Canada's most-read newspapers. Since its founding in 1844, it has been a trusted source of news and journalistic integrity in Canada. It is known as "Canada's paper of record." This makes Stress Test unique among financial podcasts. It intends to make complicated financial topics easy to understand for younger audiences.

The hosts of Stress Test are the finance reporters Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw. Carrick has been writing about finance since the early 1990s. He began his career covering the Bay Street business scene in Canada. He joined the Globe and Mail in 1996 as their investment reporter. He soon suggested a personal finance column for the paper and began writing after that. Roma Luciw started her career at the Globe and Mail in 2001. In 2015, she created the Gen Y Money Hub. This was a program to promote financial literacy among younger audiences.

Stress Test covers a variety of topics where finance and culture intersect. These include how thrifting can help save the environment. How climate change is shaping investment decisions is also discussed on the podcast.

As a disclaimer, it is important to note that the advice given here does not replace a financial planner. The hosts always advise consulting an experienced professional before making any investment decisions.

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Coming soon: Season nine of Stress Test

Coming soon: Season nine of Stress Test

Economic vibes still aren’t great. You want to get ahead, but it feels like you’re just getting by. And life events are coming at you fast: a new home, a career change, a baby. Hosts Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw are back for season nine of Stress Test, The Globe’s personal finance podcast for Gen Z and millennials. Coming up this season: why some Canadians are moving to warmer and cheaper climates, and the real cost of being a super-commuter. Plus, how does an inheritance factor into your financial plans?

Episodes

Here’s what young Canadians are putting in their TFSAs

Here’s what young Canadians are putting in their TFSAs

We’re taking a peek into the TFSAs of regular Canadians to give you ideas of how to better use yours. In this episode, Rob chats with Aravind Sithamparapillai of Ironwood Wealth Management to break down TFSAs, FHSAs and RRSPs. Aravind is not an accredited planner. We’re also joined by two guests with very different investment strategies: a tech entrepreneur in the midst of launching his own business, and a millennial whose investment journey started somewhat unintentionally.

Look out employers: Here come Gen Z

Look out employers: Here come Gen Z

Gen Z is entering the workforce — and changing it. These 20-somethings are digital natives, they prioritize work-life balance, and their loyalty is to themselves. In this episode, we talk to two Gen Z's who took a stand for what they wanted in their workplaces. One even convinced his boss to move the entire company to a four-day work week. And Roma speaks with Dr. Dave Drewery of the Work-Learn Institute at the University of Waterloo about how workplaces can adapt and make the most of their Gen Z workers.

Viral TikToks can crawl into your brain and trigger spending

Viral TikToks can crawl into your brain and trigger spending

Maybe you clicked on a link and bought this season’s must-have sneakers. Or maybe you spent an embarrassing amount of money on lights and balloons to replicate that perfect birthday party photo. Well, you’re not the only one whose spending is fuelled by what you’re seeing online. In this episode, Rob chats with a Gen Z woman who planned her summer vacation — using just TikTok. And Roma interviews Casey Lewis, a U.S. consultant who writes After School, a popular newsletter about youth consumer trends.

Counting on an inheritance? Not so fast

Counting on an inheritance? Not so fast

Just mention the word “inheritance” and people get their backs up. It’s no surprise that people are reluctant to chat about getting free money. In this episode, Rob chats with Julia Chung, a financial planner, about why you shouldn’t factor an inheritance into your financial plans. We’re also joined by an Edmonton woman whose parents plan to spend every dime in retirement. And an Ontario millennial walks us through whether or not she should take her parents’ offer of an early inheritance.

Would you co-own a house with your parents?

Would you co-own a house with your parents?

Adult kids are increasingly relying on mom and dad to make their home ownership dreams a reality. In this episode, Rob talks to a real estate agent who specializes in co-ownership. We chat with a B.C. woman who bought a house with her parents — who also see the house as an investment. And our guest from Toronto was able to break into an expensive housing market by purchasing a portion of his father and stepmother’s home.

Home ownership and a baby: Can you afford both?

Home ownership and a baby: Can you afford both?

Having kids has always been expensive. These days, with housing costs soaring for both renters and owners, it can feel impossible to buy a home and start a family at the same time. In this episode, Rob talks to a 28-year-old new mom who’s renting with her partner. Roma chats with a 34-year-old man who chose to move their family in with their in-laws to power save for a downpayment. We’re also joined by Shannon Tatlock, a certified financial planner, to discuss the steps young parents are taking so they’re financially prepared to start a family.

How far would you commute to save money?

How far would you commute to save money?

Commuting is back above pre-pandemic levels thanks to immigration and a reduction in remote work. In this episode, Rob talks to a 28-year-old lawyer who’s saving a pile of cash by living with her parents. Roma chats with a 34-year-old marketing professor who flies from Edmonton to Vancouver for work. We’re also joined by Clare Kumar, a Toronto-based productivity coach.

Meet the young people leaving Canada for an affordable life

Meet the young people leaving Canada for an affordable life

It’s getting harder and harder to build a good life in Canada. Everything is just so expensive. Most of us feel it — especially those of us just starting out. If you can work remotely, have you ever considered packing up and trying to get ahead near the beach? In this episode, we hear from two 30-year-olds; one who’s about to move to Spain and the other who’s been living in Playa del Carmen, with no plans to return any time soon.

Coming soon: Season nine of Stress Test

Coming soon: Season nine of Stress Test

Economic vibes still aren’t great. You want to get ahead, but it feels like you’re just getting by. And life events are coming at you fast: a new home, a career change, a baby. Hosts Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw are back for season nine of Stress Test, The Globe’s personal finance podcast for Gen Z and millennials. Coming up this season: why some Canadians are moving to warmer and cheaper climates, and the real cost of being a super-commuter. Plus, how does an inheritance factor into your financial plans?

5 personal finance resolutions for 2024 (that you can actually keep)

5 personal finance resolutions for 2024 (that you can actually keep)

If your usual resolutions are “go to the gym” or “eat healthy,” don’t forget that a mindful approach to money is also a ticket to improved wellness. We asked listeners in their 20s and 30s some basic personal finance “hygiene” questions when it comes to credit scores, tracking expenses, writing wills, spending on food and first home savings accounts.

Salaries, mortgages and EVs: The top personal finance stories of 2023

Salaries, mortgages and EVs: The top personal finance stories of 2023

Is a $100,000 salary enough for a comfortable life any more? Where are mortgages headed next? Are you electric car curious? Rob and Roma chat with the reporters who wrote some of the best-read personal finance stories from The Globe and Mail this year.

Can you really afford a dog?

Can you really afford a dog?

Many Canadians have become first-time pet owners since the pandemic. But with the price of pet food and vet costs soaring, owners are struggling to afford their COVID companions. In this episode, Roma speaks to Shawn Morey, the executive director of the Peterborough Humane Society. We’re also joined by two people that became first-time pet owners in their 20s.

What the tightening job market means for you

What the tightening job market means for you

During the pandemic, employees had the upper hand in the job market. But the balance of power has shifted back to employers. They’re more hesitant to hire, less willing to offer remote work and less generous with what they are offering. We hear from a recent grad who applied for more than 100 jobs before landing a role, and a recently laid off tech worker with over a decade of experience. And Rob talks to Jermaine L. Murray, a Toronto-based tech recruiter and career coach.

So, you splurged. Now what?

So, you splurged. Now what?

The urge to splurge is universal. After the bleakness of the pandemic, people are spending more on the big and little things that bring them joy. But there are healthy ways to manage splurge-spending that don't leave you buried in debt. In this episode, we hear from a Swiftie with a “Taylor Swift" concert obsession. And Roma speaks with Shannon Lee Simmons, a certified financial planner and founder of the New School of Finance.

The struggle is real: how homeowners are coping with soaring mortgage rates

The struggle is real: how homeowners are coping with soaring mortgage rates

First, home owners with variable rate mortgages felt the pain of soaring interest rates. Then, people with fixed rate mortgages began to renew at sharply higher rates. In this episode, we hear from first-time homebuyers in Vancouver and Kingston who are now spending more than half their income on housing. And Rob talks to Victor Tran, an Ontario-based mortgage broker.

Dual income, no kids: How much more fun are they having?

Dual income, no kids: How much more fun are they having?

The appeal of the DINK lifestyle – that’s double income, no kids – might seem obvious. But having more control over your life and finances comes with questions about your social safety net in retirement. We spoke to two women who are embracing the DINK life, along with Jay Zigmont, the founder of Childfree Wealth, a financial planning firm that serves people who don’t have kids.

Adulting with roommates: solo living is a luxury in today’s rental market

Adulting with roommates: solo living is a luxury in today’s rental market

A growing number of Canadians are living with roommates longer than they ever expected. What once was seen as a short chapter in life is turning into a long-term way to find affordable housing. Soaring house costs has people searching for roommates well into their 30s and beyond. We spoke to three women in Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax about how living with roommates is helping them make ends meet.

Coming soon: Season eight of Stress Test

Coming soon: Season eight of Stress Test

What does the “new normal” look like these days? In a period of soaring costs and rampant uncertainty, it means spending a larger chunk of your income on housing—whether that’s high rent or supercharged mortgage payments. Here to help you make sense of it all, join hosts Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw for another season of Stress Test, The Globe’s personal finance podcast for Gen Z and millennials. Also coming up this season: how to talk to your family about inheritance, the economics of child-free couples, and the splurges that are bringing you joy.

Why more Canadians are giving up on home ownership

Why more Canadians are giving up on home ownership

After years of soaring home prices, there was hope that rising interest rates would lead to lower prices in 2023 and give young Canadians an entry point into the market . And while they did go down, higher mortgage rates have left housing as unaffordable as ever. For those without family help or oversized paycheques, buying a home is just not financially realistic. We’re dedicating the last episode of this season of Stress Test to exploring why people are giving up on homeownership and how they see their financial future.

How soaring rents are transforming student life

How soaring rents are transforming student life

Student debt is a growing problem in Canada - one that’s set to get worse in the coming years. And although tuition has crept higher, it’s the soaring cost of rent and everyday living that's causing the trouble. So what should students consider before making decisions for their post-secondary lives? Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze and a professor at the University of British Columbia, describes how expensive student life has become - and how students are coping. We also hear from a 33-year-old who graduated 10 years ago with $40,000 in student debt, which she’s still paying off. Plus, The Globe’s personal finance reporter Erica Alini shares how rent in both large and small cities is changing the Canadian student experience.