The holiday season is just around the corner and calendars are already filling up! It can be a hectic time but with a little bit of planning you can focus on the fun, family and festivities. You may have travel plans, many gifts to buy and parties to attend but the enjoyment can be tainted […]

Budgets are pretty simple when you get right down to it. A budget is a plan to bring in enough money (income) to cover the money going out (expenses). If you can’t manage to pay your bills with the money you have or earn, you are short cash (deficit) and in the short term might […]

Not really sure how I got thinking about how Thanksgiving relates to needs vs. wants but I think it does. For most of us, it’s easy to think of reasons to be thankful but it also makes me think how precarious life as we know it can be. Life as in ‘lifestyle’. An accident, failing […]

You may not think of including Thanksgiving and Halloween in your budget and before you know it, it’s the Holidays. Once they’re upon us, it’s too late to budget for it! The little things add up quickly and occasions like Thanksgiving and Halloween are no exception. Although they may seem like low cost holidays,it doesn’t […]

Not everyone is ‘good’ at math but all of us should be able to do our 1,2,3’s. The post secondary school year or a trade, technical or diploma program face similar challenges in that the money flows in and outs in an abnormal pattern. This makes it difficult to budget. The traditional monthly budget doesn’t […]

It’s never fun to get the credit card bill especially if it shows a huge balance, more than you can pay. A feeling of dread. If you’ve had enough of feeling this way, it’s time to take action and deal with it. There’s no easy solution but small steps can make a big difference. Here […]

The short answer is anything between a few hundred (think City Hall, you and your spouse-to-be and a bouquet) and tens of thousands. The range is huge and the costs are driven by the number of guests and your vision. Here are some examples of typical wedding expenses: Meal & Drinks: $100 per person ($50 […]

The variable and short term rates look so attractive! The question is – Can you sleep at night? How long do you plan to stay in your home? Answering these questions will help you decide what term to choose. Mortgage rates don’t always change when lending rates go up or down but often they do. […]

Almost everyone has access to credit these days. Teenagers and adults use credit cards, lines of credits, vehicle leases, loans and mortgages. They may be different in how they work but at the end of the day, it’s borrowed money. There are various associated fees including: Interest Cardholder fees Legal fees Transactions fees Currency exchange […]

Emergency savings, contingency fund? Who has one? How much do you have? I suspect the answers are along the lines of: What? How do I get one? How much do I need? Without any warning, an emergency such as a sick family member, job loss or car repairs can throw a wicked curve ball. Few […]