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 […]

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 […]

2012 Post #1 was about deciding what you want and Post #2 was about knowing what you spend and your current financial condition. Post #3 will give you some ideas on how to make it happen. Set a budget – it’s easier than you think Integrate your goals Set up a system to achieve your […]

Part 1 of Ringing in the New Year with a Fresh Financial Plan was about deciding what you wanted, in what order and what it would cost. Part 2 focuses on using your past to reset the path for your future. It won’t take long! Gather whatever information you have: Bank statements Pay stub Credit […]

I am always looking for ways to increase Dear Piggy Bank’s profile and promote financial education. This summer Laura Thomas, a writer and advocate for financial literacy, was producing episodes of Money Moments and it was a fantastic opportunity to meet someone else who was passionate about making basic money management skills mainstream. Although it […]

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 […]

How do you budget for the school year? What do things cost? Some expenses may be familiar and others might be totally new. The main categories are: Living (Housing & Food) Tuition & Books Transportation Entertainment Other Within each of these categories is a list of expenses many of which we all pay, some of […]