Do You Know Your Retirement Number?
Eat the cake, go on the trip, buy the car. Because you only live once. That’s the message that modern marketing and our society is embracing, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the kind of person that indulges in this kind of thinking (and spending) every once in a while. But there is a flip side. The […]
Are you using your TFSA in all the wrong ways?
I think everyone can agree that a tax-free savings account is a good thing to have. But I have to say, this might be one of the most misused and misunderstood accounts available. Nearly everyone has one, but very rarely do TFSA’s get used to their full potential. The only two things you can really count on […]
Are your finances a fixer-upper?
As humans by nature, we seem to have an obsession with transformation stories. Whether it’s fitness or a home remodel, we are in love with seeing a before and after. But what if something requires a transformation that doesn’t lend itself to a post worthy before and after image? In our world today, we can […]
Retirement planning when you’re late to the party
If you are like a lot of people out there, you hear the word “retirement” and you aren’t exactly overwhelmed with feelings of confidence and security. In fact, more and more people are feeling they are late to the accumulation party. Sometimes, when I am late for an event, I wonder if I should even […]
Are you afraid of missing out?
Whether it’s your Facebook news feed or conversations in your lunch room, you no doubt have been exposed to the buzz that surrounds the trendiest opportunities and investments out there right now. Do you ever get that feeling in your stomach when someone explains an investment or “opportunity” to you? I know the feeling of […]
5 Steps towards debt freedom
A while ago, I posted a blog about my husband and I’s journey of paying off our consumer debt and how we have chosen to do our best to avoid it going forward. In it I am honest about how it’s not the easy path of lollipops and gumdrops. If it were easy, everyone would […]
Are your financial fears constructive or crippling?
Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all have fears. Depending on our background and personality we all have a unique set of circumstances that we avoid out of fear. Fear can be rational or irrational and it may be used for good or evil. It can hold us back, and in […]
Can real people with real jobs build real wealth?
Lately I’ve been thinking quite a bit about a mindset that bothers me. These thoughts have been rolling around in my mind for while now, and didn’t really come to the surface until we were having a great day on the lake, and one of our boating companions commented on how they appreciated being out seeing the lakeside homes and all the toys that went along […]
3 Ways the new tax proposals aren’t fair for you (yes YOU)
Chances are, you’ve heard rumblings of some proposed tax changes waiting in the wings. There are vague phrases floating around like “tax fairness” and “closing corporate loopholes”. You might think that finally the government is coming after the corporate big bad wolf that eats the hardworking employee’s dreams for breakfast. This is good. It’s about […]
Why I treat debt like a four letter word
I remember being a young twenty something, laying awake at night too anxious to sleep because of my debt. Agonizing over a number that felt so large to me. I’ve always felt very uneasy with the idea of debt. The only thing that ever seemed to work at easing the anxiety over it was rationalization. The inner dialogue would go something like this: “Everyone has debt. This […]
