Quite a lot – I think. No one likes them and neither one is the ticket to success. That’s the first question – How are you defining success? The key is to define your goal using SMART elements (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely). You may begin by saying that you want to lose 10 […]

A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is a program under which you can save for your child’s education. As parents we try very hard to give our children every opportunity and one of the foundational bricks of many paths in life is education. The cost of post-secondary education increases each year and who knows what […]

November is flying by but there are two weeks left to earn an ‘A’ in Financial Literacy. How do I do that you may ask? Definitions of literate include ‘to be knowledgeable’ or ‘to be well-read on a topic’. I don’t have a whole lot of time to read these days but thanks to the […]

I can thank my parents for teaching me and my brother valuable first lessons when it comes to finances. Save for what you want before you buy it Always pay the full balance owing on your credit card by the due date Save for retirement Spend wisely – if it’s something you really, really like, […]

You may ask ‘What’s the point? I never go into my bank because I do everything online’. It would take a very long time to save enough cash to buy a car or a home and so when we do want to make a big purchase, most of us go to the bank and ask […]

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 […]

A New Home – What Can I Afford? Whether you are buying your first home or your third home, the big question is usually – What can I afford? This is a big question that is made up of two parts: How much do you have for a down payment and what will someone lend […]

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 […]

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 […]