Knowing the signs of identity theft is the best way to arming yourself against becoming a victim. So, what exactly is identity theft? It happens when somebody takes and/or uses your personal information, like your credit card number, driver's license, SIN, birthdate, to commit a crime like fraud. Luckily, there are things you can do [...]
When it comes to creating a robust retirement plan, a lot of us tend to put it off. One reason may be because it’s difficult to imagine what life will be like in five, 10, 20 years from now. Another possible reason is that we may become overwhelmed by the amount of information available about [...]
Outside of your RRSP, the TFSA is a great savings tool to help you achieve your short- and long-term goals. For example, let’s say you wanted to travel around Italy for three-weeks sometime in the near future — say, in five years. If you started with an investment of $25 and then added another $25 [...]
Most financial institutions have now updated their bill payee list to include Canada Life Group RRSP and Canada Life Group TFSA. This means you can make direct contributions to your RRSP and/or TFSA by setting it up as a bill through your online banking. Just search for “Canada Life” in the bill payments section of your bank’s [...]
We can all agree that it’s good that 2020 is finally over. It was a year of unprecedented volatility across all areas of life. And it shone a painful light on how carrying too much debt and too little savings can make everything even more difficult. The good news is that things are starting to [...]
There are tons of great personal financial websites that offer advice on budgeting, goal setting and how to avoid/eliminate debt. Here are a few that you should check out: The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada: Covid-19 related personal financial tips Rags to Reasonable smartPATH
Do you remember the “Freedom 55” ads? These days, retiring in your 50s is only for a lucky few. “Freedom 65+” is more realistic for most Canadians. And according to Benefits Canada, it’s not merely realization facing Boomers and Gen Xers; Millennials are also coming to the same conclusion. Of course, when you work in [...]
This year, the United Nations increased the average Canadian life expectancy to 82.52, an .18% increase over 2019, with the average Canadian woman living to 84. Also, the gender pay gap continues to decrease. So for these two reasons, it’s important that women are proactive about their retirement plan. Saving consistently and as early as [...]
Every year, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) conducts a survey to study how well Canadians understand and manage their personal finances. In May, the agency released its findings from the 2019 survey. What remains true is that Canadians still live pay cheque to pay cheque, are carrying a lot of debt, tend not [...]
If you count yourself among many creative professionals across Canada who run their businesses from home — especially now because of Covid — do you know how well you are protected from loss, damage or theft? You may be surprised to know that your regular home insurance may not cover your business. In fact, according [...]
