Besides the U.S. election, another popular topic of discussion at dinner parties these days is housing. There’s no easy way to put it: Canada is a country obsessed with real estate. We love spending money on home renovations – whether it’s granite counter-tops or stainless steel appliances – and we like our homes big. Canadians have […]

Friday started like any other day. It got out of bed, had breakfast, got dressed and headed to work. Work was busy as usual. Soon enough the afternoon arrived. Half the day was over with the weekend fast approaching. During the few spare moments I had, I took a mental break and checked the CBC […]

If you’re buying a home with less than a 20 percent down payment, the rules of the game have changed. In an effort to avoid a U.S.-style housing crash, the federal government has introduced a new set of mortgage rules designed to cool the real market and orchestrate a “soft landing.” The government is once […]

Are you financially better off not owning a home? That’s the question CBC News reporter Sophia Harris debated in her latest article. Sophia profiled Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung, who retired in their early 30’s and travel the world. (Kudos to this young couple for achieving financial freedom and living out their dreams.) How did […]

Do you aspire to be a homeowner? A large down payment helps you afford your dream home, but it’s not the only important factor. In my upcoming book, Burn Your Mortgage, I reveal the four mortgage qualification factors. One of those factors is your credit score. Your credit score is that all-important number the lenders […]

When I went to bed Thursday evening, the vote was close between the Remain and Leave sides in the hotly contest Brexit vote, but I didn’t think in my wildest dreams the Leave side would win. Although it was close, betting odds had the Remain side as the favourites. When I woke up Friday morning […]

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. –Benjamin Franklin If you’re looking for the investment that provides the best ROI, look no further than the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). With employers looking for at least a bachelor’s degree for most entry-level positions, post-secondary education has never been more important. Education equips your child […]

Anyone who reads my blog should know I love my bike. Not only do I save $10K a year by biking to work, I’m doing my part to help the environment. With the nice weather finally here, last week I decided to take my bike in for a yearly tune up. It had a few […]

My millennial cohorts seem to be wearing rose-coloured glasses . Whenever I read a news headline about home prices hitting a new record in Toronto, I thank my lucky stars I’m a homeowner. At today’s sky high home prices, there’s no way I could pay off my mortgage in three years by age 30. That’s […]

There are two main types of pension plans in the workplace today: defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC). DB is the cream of the crop for workplace pension plans. DB pension plans guarantee workers a set amount of income in retirement based on a pension formula. DC pension plans on the other hand only […]