Let’s talk about the elephant in the room that gets swept under the rug all too often when discussing our finances: personal debt. Our bills for borrowing can suddenly rack up as we establish new lines of credit and loans. A 2017 poll conducted by Ipsos noted that Canadians with any amount of debt averaged $15,473 of consumer debt 1 . That is a scary number considering the recent spike in interest rates 2...
Human beings spend on average 229,961 hours in our lifetime fast asleep. Imagine how much money we could have made with all of this time at our disposal! Well, sleeping and generating income may not be mutually exclusive. Many of the most successful people in the world generate passive income to accommodate money earned during regular work hours. Passive income is considered earnings in which a person is not actively involved. However, in many cases...
Whether I am busy at work or simply relaxing at home, the one thing that is always by my side is my phone. This is hardly out of the ordinary; over 30 million Canadians currently own a cell phone 1 . Our handheld devices are now the primary method of communicating with others, entertainment, planning our schedules, and even dealing with our bills. Our phones can all too often send us down a spiral of...
If you have woken up in the middle of the night to a money-related panic attack, do not worry - you are not alone. It is natural for us to worry about our financial situation as it dictates so many facets of our everyday life. Nevertheless, financial stress is a big deal and needs to be addressed. Money driven anxiety is also becoming a growing concern for the younger population. Millennials are taking out larger...
While it may not seem so, there are a lot of painless ways to save money. Not just for those who have a limited cash flow, but also for those with plenty of surplus cash who will appreciate ways to cut back on monetary waste. Here are just a few things you can do to save: 1. Use cashback rewards credit cards. While most cards on the market today offer some level of cash back...
There are a variety of financial management tools and applications available today that can be used to help you manage your money. From software applications to phone apps, there’s no shortage of help available. Unfortunately, those apps and software programs can only do what you set them up to do. And all the apps and software products in the world will make no difference in your financial situation if you don’t do the following: 1...
Time certainly goes by fast. One day you’re interviewing for your first job and the next thing you know you’re a few short years from applying for Social Security. If you’ve planned for your retirement, you’ll likely have a good stash of funds saved. But the unfortunate news is that according to the Insured Retirement Institute , 42 percent of baby boomers have nothing saved for retirement, and even those that have saved don’t...
Most nonprofit organizations today offer a variety of planned giving options that supporters can take advantage of. If you’re committed to supporting an organization into perpetuity, planned giving provides you with the option to do so. While consulting with your tax or financial advisor is recommended before making any planned giving decisions, it can be helpful to gain some understand about the various options that are available, and which of these options are more likely...
If you’ve spent more than five minutes on a kid’s television network, you’ve seen just how inundated young kids are with commercials for everything from the latest gadget, to some dreadful snack that features something gooey and/or messy. It’s also safe to bet that many of these kids run to their parents, wanting to buy some or all of these items. It’s difficult, if not impossible for younger kids in particular to understand the dynamics...
There are many ways that we support our favorite charitable causes. However, one of the most beneficial ways to support a favorite charity now and into perpetuity is through planned giving. While almost any larger nonprofit organization has an active planned giving program, it may come as a surprise that many smaller nonprofits are also eager to work with their donors on planned giving options. Before you make a commitment, be sure to check with...
Are you an investor looking to diversify your investments, or perhaps you’re a new investor looking for something other than traditional stocks and bonds to invest in. No matter what your situation, investing in art can prove to be lucrative, if you do your research. While novice art investors can be initially intimidated by their lack of knowledge in the field, educating yourself as to the variety of options available will go far in reducing...
If you’re new to investing, some of the information on the Internet can be downright confusing. While investing itself is fairly straightforward, many people find themselves shying away from the entire process because they simply don’t understand the terminology, which can be somewhat overwhelming. So here is a rundown of common investing terms that every investor should become familiar with: Stocks While stocks can seem mysterious, a stock is simply a portion of business ownership...