Automate your debt payments Some of the best known personal finance experts recommend using the debt snowball technique to pay off debt. The idea is to list your debts from lowest to highest, and then set aside an amount of money each month to put towards the different items. The bulk of the money [...]
You know that amazing feeling you get when you find $5 in a bag or jacket you haven’t used in a while? It’s the kind of thing that adds a spring to your step for the entire day, as you try to figure out if you should blow the whole thing on a fancy [...]
Here’s a simple fact about growing your nest egg: making money is easy. Saving it can be the tricky part. That’s why it’s important to consider how your investments outside your RRSPs are taxed. To illustrate, here are three general tax treatment examples for an individual with an annual income of $85,000 and earning [...]
The simple answer is a Canadian resident for tax purposes who is 71 years or younger and making an income, up to the individual’s annual contribution limit. So, what if you’re on a temporary work visa or you’re a Canadian citizen who’s lived overseas for a while and have now moved back? The CRA [...]
We can all agree that the instability of last two years have been a challenge financially for many Canadians. However, a recent Canadian survey found that 40% of respondents were able to continue to contribute to their RRSPs, according to Benefits Canada, a financial industry trade magazine. In fact, the majority of the respondents [...]
A common concern of many Canadians is: “I can never retire.” It’s usually followed by: “I haven’t saved enough.” These worries are understandable since we live and spend money in the “now.” It’s much harder to visualize how we’ll live and spend money in retirement when it may be 5, 10, 15, 20 or [...]
Over the last few years, the financial industry has taken note that women are taking more responsibility for personal and household financial decisions. A recent article in the Toronto Star on the subject noted that 90% of Canadian women will find themselves in this role by way of personal lifestyle preference, divorce or by [...]
If you are turning 71 this year you will need to close your RRSP by December 31. This being said, it doesn’t mean you have to leave the CEIRP plan. You may have already been contacted by Canada Life and have made a decision about opening a CEIRP RRIF. This account offers the same [...]
Here are some ideas on how to stay financially disciplined starting in your 20s through to your 40s: Twenty-something: Do you know where your money goes? Knowing how you spend money now will benefit you in the long-term. There are lots of financial apps that you can try, which are designed to make budgeting and [...]
With the summer ending and fall here, schooling and education tends to be top of mind for many families. With the rising costs of post secondary education, many families wonder how and when to start saving. It can be difficult for students to cover post-secondary expenses from their earnings alone, which are usually very [...]
