As the weather improves and the temperature warms up, so does the fun. Weekends away, barbecues, weddings and summer holidays start to fill the calendar. It’s easy to accept many invitations and deal with the bills later. Save yourself some spender’s remorse and check whether your budget can handle all the holidays. Take a look […]

A chore few people like to do but one that must be done! The due date for filing personal income taxes to Canada Revenue Agency is April 30th. If you owe taxes, submitting by this date means you will avoid fees and penalties. I read an article recently that said that most Canadians would rather […]

After Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) season there is a lull. RSP’s are in the news a lot early in the new year because of the deadline to invest to deduct against past years! Sixty days after January 1st to be precise. 2011 Tax Time – You’ve probably started received most of your tax information in […]

Sometimes the expenses you face are out of your control. Take this week for example, BC kids have no school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The first question is whether or not existing child care can provide additional coverage and the second is what to do if they don’t. As it is, Spring Break begins March […]

Have you started receiving tax info in the mail? Don’t ignore it, the faster you get it done, the faster you will receive any return you are owed. As the tax slips arrive in the mail, put them all into one envelope. Write a quick checklist of the tax information you expect to receive and […]

How’s it going with your 2012 resolutions? Even though it’s already the beginning of February, 2012 is hardly underway and there’s always time to get started on the right financial path. Many of us start the year with fresh resolve to improve, change and/or get organized. What can you get done before that impetus to […]

Last post outlined our family case study. What should Mr & Mrs B do? Their concerns about a large amount of mortgage debt, retirement and lack of confidence with respect to the day to day finances are very common and can add a great deal of stress to a household or relationship. It seems their […]

It seems that there’s a lot more in and out transactions to keep on top of in a family situation. More people = more responsibilities and keeping track of them all on a month to month basis is no easy feat! What about planning for the future? Does it often get put off until next […]

What should Betty do? Her concerns are quite clear. What can she do to increase her confidence with respect to her finances? The first step is to take a look at past patterns. How much does she make each month (after tax) and how does spend it? Does her income cover her expenses? This is […]

I opened our mail today and it was full of bills! It’s that time of year when the holiday spending catches up with us. Income tax preparation and RSP marketing are in full swing. What to do? Betty has been back at work for a couple weeks and is feeling the pressure to start the […]