I’d like to start this post by dispelling a common myth: borrowing to invest is not a sin. We borrow for all sorts of things in life – homes, cars and university – but for some strange reason borrowing to invest is considered taboo. I’d like to show you how, when done properly, borrowing to […]

The following article is a guest post by Dan Greenstein. Canadian consumer debt as a percentage of after-tax income is at the highest level in history. Stats Canada research indicates that consumer debt including mortgages now exceeds 160% of disposable income, which is about twice the levels seen in 1990. Total Canadian consumer debt is […]

With tax season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to review income tax software. While I’m all for bargain hunting, simply buying the software that’s on sale every year can lead to aggravation – not to mention you won’t be able to carry forward your personal information and deductions. So it’s important to […]

To paraphrase the great playwright, William Shakespeare: to annuitize or not to annuitize, that is the question. For the two-thirds of us without workplace pension plans, annuities can provide some much-needed income stability in retirement. The problem is many retirees are hesitant to annuitize their savings because annuities have gotten a bad rap over the […]

If you’ve been following the news headlines lately, you’d think we’re smack-dab in the middle of a retirement crisis. The facts don’t lie: only a third of us today have a workplace pension plan. For the rest of us, we’re left to fund our own retirement. While the low interest rate environment may be beneficial […]

Pre-authorized payment (PAP) seems like a convenient way to pay your bills. With PAP, you can “set it and forget it.” The money is automatically deducted from your bank account each month like clockwork. But PAP isn’t without its risks.  The biggest risk is over-billing. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of […]

The following article is a guest post by SmartSAVER.org, a non-profit organization. Many of us will go out of our way to redeem coupons or find freebies, but why aren’t we taking advantage of free money for post-secondary education? One reason may be that many people don’t know about government programs offering free money, or […]

With home prices rising faster than inflation, first-time homebuyers are finding it hard to afford a home in Canada’s major cities. If you’re feeling discouraged by rising housing prices you’re not alone. The good news is, it’s still a fantastic time to buy your first home. I was fortunate enough to sit down with the […]

When I purchased my house in August 2012, I had no idea I’d end up spending upwards of $25,000 on home renovations and repairs in my second year as a homeowner. Like most homebuyers I got a home inspection; nothing major cropped up, although the inspector mentioned I would eventually need to get the retaining […]

Are you tired of shelling out thousands of dollars to your cable company each year for hundreds of channels you don’t watch? Have you considered joined the growing trend of ditching cable TV? About 16 per cent say they no watch conventional TV and strictly stream online content, according to a report by comScore. Living […]