The Plain Bagel

Investing and personal finance educational videos with a hint of economics, posted regularly.

I'm a CFA charterholder and CFP professional working as an analyst for an investment management company in Ottawa. I'm a huge finance nerd and am passionate about the field - I think people lack the resources they need to make educated financial decisions, and hopefully this channel helps with that!

For collaboration/other inquiries: richard@theplainbagel.com

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DISCLAIMER:
The videos on this channel are for education purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers and his content should not be used as a basis for investment trades.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePlainBagel/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_plain_bagel
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ThePlainBagel

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60 episodes
Updated Today

Episodes60

Newest first

Yesterday · 24 min
The 2025 Gold Rush - "Debasement Trade" or FOMO?
To learn for free on Brilliant (today's sponsor), go to https://brilliant.org/theplainbagel. Brilliant’s also giving viewers 20% off an annual Premium subscription, which gives you unlimited daily access to everything on Brilliant! 00:00 - Introduction 02:14 - Why Investors Buy Gold 04:10 - Why Gold's Rallying 08:34 - The Debasement Trade 09:47 - Considerations 13:27 - Gold's Questionable Price Stability 16:11 - Sponsor Gold's price has been skyrocketing, with murmurings of a great "debasement trade" driving returns. Today we'll dive into what's driving performance, and the overall trends around gold. If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/c/ThePlainBagel :) DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers
Yesterday · 32 min
Investment Analyst Reacts to Finance TikToks - Prediction Markets and More
Get your free trial with Blinkist (today's sponsor) and save an additional 30%. Go to http://blinkist.com/bagel. My name is Richard Coffin, I'm an investment analyst with my Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Planner designations, registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as a portfolio manager. DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers
Yesterday · 9 min
Plain Bagel QandA 4 | P/E, QE, and Short-Term Needs
The Plain Bagel Q&A 4 More Details on QE: QE is a concerted effort to provide additional monetary stimulus to the economy in order to light a fire under it and get growth increasing again. If we look back at recent history, during and for a long period after the financial crisis of 08/09, the central banks dropped their key interest rates to zero or virtually zero. They did this in order to incentivize the commercial banking system to borrow free money and then easily lend that same money out into the financial system for an easy profit for themselves. However, this didn’t work so well because, although the banks did borrow the free money, they then horded this free money in low to moderate risk investments without really investing and lending the funds into the real economy. At this point, this is where QE came into a necessary realization and effect. As mentioned, central banks (in effect) increase their own bank account balances and then buy various financial securities from commercial banks and other institutional investors. This effectively lowers longer-term interest rates (not short-term rates which are again already virtually zero) by artificially inflating the prices of the securities being bought by the QE operations. This in effect makes most government backed or guaranteed securities prevail at artificially and abnormally low yields (same interest payment, but higher prices). As a corollary, these same securities by default become much less attractive to any private market investor. In connecting the dots, as a final result, this will encourage both institutional and retail investors to put their money into more risky investments like stocks and corporate bonds, and this will eventually boost the stock market. Episode Music: Marty Gots a Plan by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100671 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Yesterday · 9 min
Bonds | Using Debt to Invest
The Plain Bagel Episode II Companies use debt to help fund their projects, borrowing money from investors to grow their business. This video covers bonds, the instrument these firms use to raise their debt. Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Episode Music (Licensed): http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/
Yesterday · 13 min
Risk - Understanding Investment Uncertainty
The Plain Bagel Episode X In investments, you can't have return without taking on some risk. Today, let's look into better understanding the types of risks we'll face with our holdings, and how we can manage them. Sources: https://www.osc.gov.on.ca/documents/en/Investors/inv_research_20171127_missing-out-report.pdf Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Episode Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/
Yesterday · 9 min
Plain Bagel QandA 1 | Good Reads and Rolled Sleeves
The Plain Bagel Q&A 1 Question topics: books on finance, “average person” investments, starting off, liquidity, and stock splits Here’s a list of the books suggested by my colleagues. The first few are on personal finance, while the last two focus specifically on investing: - Moolala: Why smart people do dumb things with their money (and what you can do about it) by Bruce Sellery - Wealthing Like Rabbits by Robert R. Brown - Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies by Eric Tyson & Tony Martin - Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam - The Single Best Investment: Creating Wealth with Dividend Growth by Lowell Miller Another colleague brought up a great point on stock splits that I’d like to add to my last answer. Companies also use stock splits to “signal” to investors that they expect future stock growth. This positive signal will infer that management believes in the sustainability of the stocks growth, which may convince investors to purchase the stock. Episode Music: https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusic Sources: http://www.investors.com/how-to-invest/investors-corner/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-start-investing/
Yesterday · 32 min
Investment Analyst Reacts to Finance TikToks - Part 9
Markets are falling, and the world is in a full fledged trade war - let's watch some TikToks. My name's Richard Coffin, I'm an investment analyst with my Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Planner designations, registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as a portfolio manager. If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/c/ThePlainBagel :) DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers Edited by: Emma Konrad & Richard Coffin
Yesterday · 8 min
The Rise and Fall of Nortel Networks - 5 Minute History Lesson
It's been 10 years since Nortel Networks, a Canadian behemoth, filed for bankruptcy protection, not long after it had grown to represent more than a third of the Canadian stock market. Let's dive into what brought down the massive company with today's 5 Minute History Lesson. Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Episode Music: Faster Does It by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100794 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Yesterday · 4 min
The Plain Bagel Turns 1
It's been a year since I posted my first video, just thought I'd provide a bit of a reflection on the channel thus far. :)
Yesterday · 11 min
Behavioral Finance | Investor Irrationality
The Plain Bagel Episode XI As humans, we tend to fall victim to different biases when making financial decisions. Let's take a look at behavioral finance and explore how we can circumvent these common pitfalls. Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Episode Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/
Monday · 11 min
An AI Scammer Is Trying to Steal My Viewer's Money
Found a video of me trying to scam my viewers.
Monday · 9 min
Stock Market Corrections: Why Markets Stumble
Every so often, the markets take a tumble, sometimes of a material magnitude. What causes these drops, and why do they happen when things are up? Let's explore these questions and more with today's episode. Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution. Richard Coffin is not registered to provide investment advice and as such does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers.
Monday · 13 min
Clearing Up the Inflation Target Misinformation
Video of Jerome Powell Jackson Hole speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZdOFw-gTo8 Speech Transcript: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20250822a.htm Video on the impact rates cuts have on stocks: https://youtu.be/rSpVmpiUTTM Video on the Petrodollar Agreement: https://youtu.be/XK8DQEyXODU This past Friday we had rumours circulate that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had abandoned the bank's 2% inflation target. Today, we dive into what ACTUALLY happened at the Jackson Hole address. If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/c/ThePlainBagel :) DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers
Monday · 29 min
The SpaceX IPO Is Wild
00:00 - Introduction 03:44 - SpaceX Overview 04:53 - IPO Details 05:47 - Insane Valuation 06:53 - The Wild Prospectus 11:02 - The Retail Push 11:38 - Other IPOs (Anthropic and OpenAI) 13:23 - The Concerns 16:56 - Crowding Out Risk 17:58 - The AI Bubble 20:24 - Concluding Thoughts SpaceX IPOs today, and Anthropic/OpenAI are looking to go public in the near term. Today we discuss the trend, what it means for markets, and how it balances against fears of an AI bubble. DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute financial advice - Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers. Please seek out a registered advisor if you require assistance (while Richard is a registered portfolio manager at WDS Investment Management, he does not provide advice through The Plain Bagel, which is not affiliated with his employer). Richard makes no warranties regarding the accuracy of data included in this video.
Monday · 30 min
Let's Talk About the AI Bubble
Everyone believes we're in a bubble...so why are companies still spending hundreds of billions on the space? We lay things out in today's video. If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/c/ThePlainBagel :) DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers
Monday · 11 min
Plain Bagel QandA 5 | Mostly Weed Stock Questions
Check out Brandon Beavis' channel, Brandon Beavis Investing! Great guy with an impressive number of investment certifications for his age! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoYDuEolAYsjQzzqe2dh1sg Episode Music: Marty Gots a Plan by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100671 DISCLAIMER: Richard does not have a personal holding in any of the referenced companies. The videos on this channel are for education purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. Richard Coffin is not registered to provide investment advice and as such does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers and his content should not be used as a basis for investment trades.
Monday · 20 min
The Risk the War in Iran Poses to the Global Economy
00:00 - Intro 02:12 - Iran Primer 03:36 - Iran’s Oil 04:55 - The Strait of Hormuz 08:17 - Global Economic Impacts 11:11 - How This Impacts the US? 12:40 - What About Stocks? 13:17 - Final Considerations The Impact of War on Markets and the Economy: https://youtu.be/vl156QpXr5g?si=1QIYNSTklODaVS3B On February 28th, the US and Israel launched a massive military operation in Iran aimed to hamstringing the countries military aspirations, and seemingly to bring about a complete regime change. Today, we dive into why economists are bracing for an impact. DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute financial advice - Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers. Please seek out a registered advisor if you require assistance (while Richard is a registered portfolio manager at WDS Investment Management, he does not provide advice through The Plain Bagel, which is not affiliated with his employer). Richard makes no warranties regarding the accuracy of data included in this video.
Monday · 21 min
Why Central Banks Target 2% Inflation
To learn for free on Brilliant, go to https://brilliant.org/theplainbagel. Brilliant’s also giving viewers 20% off an annual Premium subscription, which gives you unlimited daily access to everything on Brilliant! 00:00 - Introduction 02:09 - The Origin of 2% Inflation 04:03 - Argument for 2% 06:57 - Why Not Deflation? 09:21 - Costs and Considerations 12:30 - Why the Target Won't Change 13:48 - Sponsor Despite economists warning on the negative impact of tariffs, the US has been reporting stronger-than-expected GDP growth, record tariff revenue, and trillions of inbound investment commitments. Let's dive into whether tariffs are actually improving the US economy. If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/c/ThePlainBagel :) DISCLAIMER: This channel is for education purposes only and is not affiliated with any financial institution, although Richard does work as an employee for an investment manager. Richard Coffin does not provide recommendations on The Plain Bagel - those looking for investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Richard is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers
Monday · 3 min
Welcome To The Plain Bagel
Welcome to The Plain Bagel! If you are looking to expand your knowledge in the areas of finance and investing, than you've come to the right place! Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Citations: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/how-should-canada-teach-financial-literacy-in-schools/article27265820/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
Monday · 13 min
Taxes | Registered Accounts and Tax Efficiency
**Edit** there is no distinction between short-term and long-term capital gains tax in Canada. Favourable taxes are only NOT provided in some instances of day trading - you CAN trade within the same year and still receive the favourable tax rate in Canada. The Plain Bagel Episode IX Tax is a pretty confusing field, yet it's essential for investors to learn. To help you get started, here are some high-level concepts on how investments accrue taxes, and what you can do to minimize the amount you owe. REIT Tax Link: https://www.dividendearner.com/reit-taxation/ Private Equity Tax Link: https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/lexispsl/tax/document/393773/5BW2-T5S1-F18C-V05X-00000-00/Tax+on+private+equity+and+venture+capital%3A+background+and+key+terms%E2%80%94overview Sources: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/tax-free-savings-account/contributions.html http://www.moneysense.ca/save/investing/rrsp/rrsp-contribution-limit/ https://www.taxtips.ca/taxrates/on.htm Intro/Outro Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Episode Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/