The Pension Blueprint

Season 4, Episode 3 | Why social media might be making you feel broke

The Pension Blueprint

Show Notes

For younger members, saving for the future while establishing a career and paying bills today may not feel like a priority. In this episode, two of Canada’s most trusted money voices: Rob Carrick, personal finance expert and co-host of Stress Test, The Globe and Mail’s personal finance podcast, and Shannon Lee Simmons, certified financial planner and personal finance columnist on CBC’s Metro Morning, join us to explore how to start saving, no matter where you’re beginning from. They discuss the “financial dysmorphia” created by social media, why starting small (even with $10) matters and how to save when your income is unpredictable.

More from The Pension Blueprint

Oct 13, 2026

In this episode, we sat down with Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell and CUPE Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi to explore how caregiving, wage gaps and career interruptions disproportionately impact women’s financial futures and how a defined benefit pension can help close the gap. They also discuss the role employers, unions and pension plans can play in helping more women build financial security for retirement.

Oct 13, 2026

In this episode, we are joined by OMERS Board Director Diane Kazarian and Toronto Star investigative journalist and author Moira Welsh to explore why financial empowerment looks different for women. From career choices and caregiving to the gender pension gap, they examine why women can enter retirement with less financial security and why planning for yourself at every stage of life matters.

Sep 29, 2026

What makes public service a meaningful and rewarding career? In this episode, we are joined by Domenic Maugeri, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Local 416; Amy Parker, Manager, Total Compensation and HR Systems, Human Resources, City of Guelph; and Wendy Stephanson, City Manager for the City of Ottawa, who explore the challenges of attracting and retaining the next generation of employees and the value of stability, purpose and a defined benefit pension.

Sep 15, 2026

OMERS President and CEO Blake Hutcheson returns to The Pension Blueprint to share his perspective on navigating global economic and political uncertainty, the importance of diversification and long-term thinking, and why OMERS is seeing greater investment opportunities here in Canada. He also discusses the value of a defined benefit pension in uncertain times and how OMERS remains focused on delivering its pension promise for members today and for generations to come.

Aug 14, 2026

The Pension Blueprint podcast is back for a fourth season, and this time we’re exploring how people experience money, work, retirement and purpose differently. We dig deep into how Gen Z can start saving for the future while establishing a career and paying bills, what the future of retirement looks like – particularly for women, what OMERS and other pension plans around the world are learning as we modernize to better serve tomorrow’s members, and more!

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