Shopping for a new home is fun! But take a look past the sticker price to learn what other costs to include in your budget. Some are one-time or transaction expenses, some are an investment or upgrade and others are incremental to your existing bills. It’s a good idea to do a little research to […]

Between you and the bank, you’ll know how much you can afford for a monthly housing payment. The last post explained some of the guidelines that banks use to determine this. For you to be comfortable though, take the amount you want to spend each month and deduct any related costs such as property taxes […]

The bad news is … there is no easy way to do this. The saying ‘buy now, pay later’ rings true no matter how hard you try to ignore it. The good news is … there are steps you can take to reduce the interest you’re paying, reduce your debt and ultimately be rid of […]

Spring has arrived! The weather in Vancouver is fantastic today and it got me thinking….Debt can be such a burden. Especially if it’s invading your thoughts, interrupting your sleep or debtors are calling. Whether your debit is stressing you out or whether you just wish it would go away a little faster, spring is a […]

Now that you’re organized…the next step to Spring Cleaning Your Finances. Review your goals to ensure they’re clear in terms of priority, timeframe and amount. Check your income in your budget – is it accurate? Review your budget to ensure your regular monthly and large expenses are noted. Review your budget to confirm that your […]

It’s that in between season after RSP’s but before Tax’s. The perfect time to get organized – you’ll see the benefits immediately. Just as soon as you sit down to do your taxes or if you hand them off to someone else, they will appreciate it! To do a thorough job, it will take a […]

Budgets are funny things because you can go to all the trouble of crafting a great budget but then…it doesn’t seem to work! There are all the usual reasons, some of which I’ve posted about but I think sometimes budgets are designed without 2 other key components.   A budget needs some support such as […]

It’s a daunting task for sure but worth the effort and easier than you think. Figure out how much monthly income you’ll need to live, pay your bills and lead the retirement lifestyle you’d like to have. How much do you need to save to achieve this? How much monthly income will you receive from […]

There are lots of reasons to procrastinate: I don’t have my taxes figured out yet I don’t know how I don’t know where to start I don’t know how much I’ll need I’m young and have lots of time until retirement I don’t have any extra money to save for retirement, I need it now […]

You’ve done the math and set the plan. How is it going? A plan is the key and a budget is simply a tool you use to reach your goals. What happens if you go off track?   The first step is to check in and see how it’s working. Compare your actual spending to […]