This is a question that can make many of us look at our shoes or up to the sky. It is more than understanding definitions and financial tools such as debt and bank accounts. The question is whether we make good choices and have a strong handle on our financial affairs.

November is Financial Literacy Month and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) defines financial literacy as “acting knowledgeably and with confidence when managing their personal financial affairs”. Their mandate is “to enhance the financial well being of all Canadians both by increasing awareness of financial literacy resources, and by strenghthening the existing consumer protection framework through a variety regulations introduced since 2010 on issues as diverse as prepaid cards and credit agreements.”

The FCAC website is a wealth of knowledge and packed with helpful and salient resources http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/index-eng.asp .

Over the next couple posts we’ll present a few simple steps to becoming financially literate without bruising your brain!