Our lives are busy enough, who wants more administrivia? Keeping track of bills and money can be kept to a minimum with a few simple strategies. The next few posts will include suggestions and tips to manage bills, banking, investments and debts.

The nice weather is starting! There is still enough time to plant some seeds for your financial future. Here is a list of common financial goals: Purchase a home Purchase a new vehicle Annual vacations (or perhaps a big trip every few years) Retirement Pay down debt Emergency fund Kids’ education fund The list above […]

According to the calendar, spring is here. You wouldn’t know it from the weather we’ve been having but in Vancouver the flowers and trees are blooming. Spring is an excellent time to set the path for your financial future because the holiday season is well behind us, income tax information is current and there is […]

In the last post, I suggested completing your taxes in stages. This post includes some tips around the details and making it a smooth process. We are reliant on others to provide much of the information that we need to complete our taxes and there are several ways to complete your taxes. Which do you […]

Do these 2 topics make you uncomfortable? If the answer is yes, do you typically procrastinate? Why do the alarm bells go off in February? If all the media attention hasn’t brought it to your attention, the following might: You will receive most of your income tax slips in February The deadline to contribute to […]

Step 11 The last one! You have a plan and you’ve put the wheels in motion. Don’t forget to set a reminder for yourself to review your progress. This will take a small amount of your time but I think it’s worthwhile. Check the balances of your assets and debts and compare them to what […]

Step 10 What’s a plan without action? Convert your plan into action so that you achieve your goals. For example, if your objective is to repay your student loan more quickly then decide how much you can afford to pay extra each month and either: a) Increase the monthly payment with the lender to the […]

Step 9 Develop your budget! Refer back to your net income and item by item subtract your expenses beginning with your needs, followed by your goals and discretionary spending making sure that your expenses and goal savings do not add up to more than your income. Use your average expenses from past experience but whatever […]

Step 8 Take another look at your goals as well as the cost and timeline associated with each one. For example, if you’d like to replace your car in 2 years and know that you will be able to sell your current vehicle for $10,000 and expect the new one to cost $25,000 (including taxes […]

Step 7 The difference between your assets and debts is called net worth. This is an easy number to calculate and a good one to know. If your net worth is positive then it means that you have financial resources and resources mean options. If your net worth is negative (more debts than assets) then […]