Archive for March 2013
How To Bank When You’re Living Paycheque To Paycheque
Nearly half of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. A recent survey by the Canadian Payroll Association found 47% saying they would face financial hardship if their pay was delayed as little as one week. Living Paycheque To Paycheque One of the easiest ways to save money is on your bank fees, but it can…
Read MoreOur Retirement Philosophy: Lock It Away Until We Need It
This is a guest post from reader Diane Wilson as part of our retirement series. We live in a small town in Northern Ontario. My husband is 74 and has been retired 12 years. I’m 70 and have been retired nine years. When we retired we had no specific plans on what we wanted to…
Read MoreAre Mutual Funds Really That Bad?
Mutual funds have been getting a bad rap lately with their high fees, low disclosure and under-performance. The introduction of ETFs has given investors a lower cost alternative. Even David Chilton did an about face in his new book The Wealthy Barber Returns recommending ETFs instead of mutual funds. It is true that the mutual fund…
Read MoreRRSP Portfolio Update 2013
I’ve spent a few years dithering about what to do with my RRSP, but since my income has increased over that time I can no longer ignore the tax advantages of making RRSP contributions. After only contributing $1,500 to my RRSP in 2011, I’ve added $5,000 in 2012 and another $5,100 during the first 60…
Read MoreSmart Watches – All Hype or Innovative Product?
The smart phone has been around for several years now and has matured significantly since the days of the original iPhone. Is it just me or does the market seem to be getting saturated? The likes of Samsung, Apple, Google, Nokia and HTC are pumping out new models on a yearly basis. With all of…
Read MoreHow My Retirement Plans Got Derailed – Big Time
In previous posts I have described how I started working at a major bank when my husband had a serious work place accident. This “temporary” job lasted for almost twenty-five years. I won’t get into the reasons why I left but will continue the story from there. Starting Our Own Business Because of his health,…
Read MoreHow This Couple Spends Their Retirement Travelling
This is a guest post from long time reader Gary Daniels. We retired in 2006; I am 66 and my wife Margaret is 63. We started collecting CPP at 60 and of course OAS at 65. We’re now in our 7th year of retirement and we are very happy (although it took us three years to…
Read MoreHow To Overcome Financial Inertia
In-er-tia: a property of matter where it remains at rest or in uniform motion unless otherwise acted upon; a tendency to keep things as they are. Financial Inertia: It’s easy to do nothing Despite all the advice to think ahead, set goals, work at achieving your goals, and make a life of your choosing, many people…
Read MoreOn Job Security And Preparing For The Worst
The funny thing about job security is that everyone thinks they have it until they don’t. Most of us can’t imagine a scenario where we’ll get laid off until something unexpected sneaks up on us. In 1993-94, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein set out to eliminate a provincial debt of $23 billion. I was only 14…
Read MoreAre Road Trips Really Cheaper Than Flying?
Canadians love to escape the cold, dark and slushy days of winter in favor of warm, sunny destinations. One popular option is Florida. With it’s beautiful beaches, water parks, golf courses, theme parks and more, the state bursts at the seams with Canadians in the winter. The path to Florida is well worn with lots of daily…
Read More