From wars and sanctions to trade disruptions and surprise political events, global markets react quickly to uncertainty.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Colin walk through decades of data on geopolitical shocks, what typically drives market drawdowns, how long recoveries tend to take, and why most sell-offs fade faster than headlines suggest.

They also explore what these events mean specifically for Canadian investors, including impacts on oil, the dollar, and global portfolios.

Every January, investment firms release their top picks and bold projections for the year ahead.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Colin look back at the stock lists published in early 2025 and ask the question most people forget to ask: how did they actually perform?

By comparing forecasts to real-world outcomes, they unpack why confidence doesn’t equal accuracy, why benchmarks matter more than opinions, and what investors can learn from hindsight.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Greg and Jacob reflect on how the reality of wealth advising differs from what’s taught early on.

Technical knowledge matters, but it isn’t what ultimately sets wealth advisors apart. Listening, understanding, and guiding people through uncertainty are what define the work.

Throughout the episode, they explore the lessons that only experience teaches, and what it really takes to build a career that lasts.

If there’s one lesson that kept showing up over nearly 300 episodes, it’s this:

being reasonable beats being brilliant.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin reflects on five themes that have shaped the show over the years, starting with why behaviour matters more than intelligence, forecasts, or clever strategies.

It’s a reminder that long-term success rarely comes from bold moves. It comes from consistent, disciplined decisions made over time.

When markets move, our instincts kick in fast. ⏱️

In this episode, Colin and Greg share a real example of a new investor reacting to a small short-term loss, and use it to explain why checking your portfolio too often can do more harm than good.

They break down volatility, time horizons, and why investing isn’t meant to feel like watching a savings account.

We’ve become far more comfortable with debt than we used to be.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Rob Carrick, one of Canada’s most trusted personal finance journalists and longtime columnist at The Globe and Mail joins Greg and Colin to talk about how consumer culture has reshaped our relationship with money.

They discuss frictionless spending, social media pressure, and why debt often builds quietly, without a clear moment where things go wrong.

We procrastinate on taxes for the same reason we avoid the dentist. We know it’s important, it just feels uncomfortable.

In this episode of The Free Lunch Podcast, Colin and Blair talk about tax optimization, early planning, and why contributing sooner to your TFSA or RRSP can be one of the most underrated financial habits.

It’s step four in their “12 Steps to Greatness in 2026” list, and they cover all 12 to help you start the year with clarity.

Is there really a free lunch when it comes to investing?

According to Greg and Colin, there is one: diversification.

It’s not exciting. It doesn’t make headlines. But it’s one of the few strategies that has improved outcomes while helping reduce risk over time.

In this episode, they explain why diversification works, why investors resist it, and why it matters right now.