Category Archives for "Investing"

What makes New York’s central park so successful (it’s the most visited park in the US) is, in part, the fact that thousands of people live on its periphery, which not only gives them access to it, it also creates a safer environment because there are so many eyes on the park. Parks can be […]

On the plus side of getting whacked by a tornado in September 2018 is knowing soil conditions in our neighborhood, Arlington Woods. It’s sand all the way down–a great foundation material–it’ll support residential structure no problem at all plus the drainage is fantastic. Here’s our neighbor’s home. Her house was destroyed by the tornado attack. […]

[This is the second in a 3-part series written for Ottawa Business Journal by OBJ columnist, Bruce M Firestone, PhD, who is working with the city of Ottawa to develop a new OP, official plan, one that is suited to 21st century conditions—both economic, sociological and environmental. An edited version of this article appears at, […]

A client of mine asked me today about helping him sort through a very complex contract to fit up his new swim school. Obviously, the construction industry is perfect, right? Wrong. Here’s what I wrote him: This is scary for everyone. The four major things that can often go wrong in this biz are: 1. […]

I believe it’s time for a new approach to taking care of yourself and your family for at least three generations. By “new” I actually mean hundreds of years old–wealthy families the world over have known for many, many generations that the best way to provide for themselves and their families is by owning their […]

I teach/mentor/coach a buy and hold strategy when it comes to real estate investing. It’s also a truism that you make money in real estate when you buy not when you sell (and since I teach folks to hold property for at least 3-generations), purchasing well-located properties at a decent price (ie, buying smart/buying low) […]

By Richard Paul Evans (2005) Review (from Amazon): When Richard Paul Evans was twelve, his father, a building contractor, shattered both his legs. With no insurance, no income, and eight children, the family was destitute. At that difficult time young Evans was introduced to a kind multimillionaire who taught him the five secrets of wealth. […]

To be honest, I’ve long felt that baby boomers (of which I am one) have acted in a way to favor their generation over younger people. Here’s an article written by Lyman Stone for the Atlantic (June 24, 2019) that extends and builds on that argument… The political ascendancy of the Boomers brought with it […]

Bruce M Firestone, PhD, keynote at FanSaves Event May 2019 YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/ZY6j-PgjUFU What is covered? -even Ice Fishing Huts are sponsored! -and keynotes are sponsored! -Ottawa 67s find a way to say “Yes!” to every sponsorship request by turning such asks into a new sales channel by harnessing the give a person a fishing […]

Here’s an excerpt from Jenna’s Story, a learning outcome novel I wrote. It’s set in the future; the story revolves around Jenna McConnell, a young revolutionary and Tom Hatch, a business owner and wealthy person. Tom is in love with Jenna, but she views him alternately with suspicion and affection. Jenna speaks with a deep […]

I have long believed that the best urban condition is one that arises from multiple ownership of land, each of them doing their own thing in a kind of organic growth mode. In other words, the best towns, villages and cities in my view evolve with little in the way of interference from a modern […]

Harmonized sales tax (HST) is a value added tax. Believe it or not, it’s a profit center for most businesses (because you are allowed to set off against HST amounts owing to government any ITCs (input tax credits) you may have). From a consumer’s POV, however, it’s just another tax (in most cases). When we […]