Personal Finance

Try this question out on your friends – or your children. If you were to choose to get either $1,000 a day for 30 days or a penny on the first day and then double your money every day for 30 days, which would you choose? Most people will begin to silently add up the…

Electronic banking has been around for quite a while in the form of the Automatic Banking Machine (ABM) and Internet Banking.  No doubt, these technologies have made all of our lives easier. People who are used to brick and mortar banking, my parents for example, still don’t fully trust these methods of managing their money.…

As parents with young children will tell you, daycare is expensive.  It’s especially costly if you have two small children who aren’t school age yet. As more and more families are dual income these days, young families need to know what options are available to them for childcare so they can manage their finances accordingly.…

The kids are back at school, fees have been paid, and the weather is getting crisp enough to pull out your sweaters. For many, fall represents a new start, and it’s the perfect season to take stock of your finances.  You still have time to meet this year’s financial goals, and it’s a good time…

Banks are getting savvier about finding ways to sell their products.  More and more Canadians are turning to online sources for financial advice, and banks are getting in on the act by engaging customers on their websites and social media channels. One approach the banks have used for years is to conduct a survey about…

Regardless if you have joint or separate accounts, couples will disagree about money from time-to-time.  But would you go so far as to hide purchases from your partner?  Financial infidelity can be as damaging to a relationship as sexual infidelity, and is one of the leading causes of divorce today. A recent survey found that…

A tip (or gratuity) is defined as a sum of money tendered to certain service workers for a service performed.  A tip is seldom required and its amount is usually at the discretion of the patron being served. It may not be required, but tipping is certainly expected.  I recently got a haircut and added…

Everybody should have a financial plan. Very few people do. A scientific poll of me, my girlfriend, and our infant daughter reveals that only 33% of Canadians have a financial plan (margin of error of +/- 2.2%, 19 times out of 20). A financial plan is a broad sketch of how you’ll use money to…