Many of us have never known ‘normal’ let along high mortgage interest rates although it wasn’t that long ago that 6 or 6.5% was the norm for a 5 year mortgage. When I started working at the bank (in the mid 90’s) the rates were closer to 10%!   How much difference would a 1% […]

No one said it’s going to be easy peasy lemon squeezy but if getting rid of your mortgage is number one priority for you, then it can be done.   There are 2 strong motivating factors to pay off your mortgage as soon as possible:     No more mortgage payments = more of your […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

If you took Making Your Money Management Simple – 1 to heart, you are now organized! This post is about paying bills on time and in no time. Our household bills all seem to naturally fall due towards the end of the month. This is okay as I sit down once per month and set […]

Despite best efforts, many leave post secondary education with student loan debt and the job market isn’t always so friendly. Taking a look at some numbers can give an idea of what to expect in terms of income and expenses (including loan payments). If you can earn $22/hour or $44,000/year, this will put about $3,000 […]

Just like credit cards, once the paperwork is done student loans are out of sight, out of mind … until it comes time to repay them. It’s amazing how quickly $10,000 here and $15,000 adds up to a big, big total.

The last steps….the ultimate goal is to finish post secondary school without any debt. No small feat. A huge achievement if you can do it. The annual loan amounts have a way of creeping up in total amount owing and this can mean some fairly hefty monthly loan payments. A few thousand this year and […]