How and Why to Calculate Your Savings Rate

In late October I had the opportunity speak about how early retirement is more achievable than you might think, provided you take appropriate actions and make wise financial choices. Specifically, on slide 28, I provided a simple example of how healthy spending and savings patterns can open up many life choices. You could stop work […]

You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think

The following is an approximate transcript of the talk I gave at the London ON FIRE meetup in London, Ontario on Oct 30, 2018: You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think. 1. Good evening everybody. It’s great to see so many of you out here tonight. My name is Chris Urbaniak, and I’ve been part […]

What Would Future You Think?

********** Hot off the press! I’ll be speaking at the London ON FIRE meetup on Tue Oct 30, 6:30pm at 195 Dufferin Ave, London, ON. Come on out, say hi, and learn more about how you can retire sooner than you think! Event info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LDNonFIRE/events/ And now back to our regularly scheduled programming… ********** How […]

5 Keys to a Successful “You-Turn”

Last month we took a little detour from personal growth and finances to corporate growth and finances when I wrote about the 5 keys to a successful turnaround. What I have realized, though, is that those same principles also apply to our personal lives. This is particularly true if you are trying to lead a […]

Networking: “Don’t Talk to Strangers” is a Fallacy

I love networking. I’m not talking about “Nortel Networking”, although I did spend some time there while they existed. Rather, I’m talking about meeting new people and building relationships. I’m talking about talking to strangers. But why is networking so hard? Why do so many of us fail at being effective at networking? And how […]

Do Something to Stand Out

I have the great fortune of being able to work with many very capable young adults and students. Whether it’s through volunteer activities such as the non-profit corporation I lead, or through my day job as a Professional Engineer, I have the opportunity to influence and be influenced by the next crop of star employees […]