Can you believe 2014 is already coming to a close? It seems like this year was over in the blink of an eye. 2014 has been a busy year to say the least. I landed a lot of well-paying freelance writing gigs, including perhaps my highest-profile job at Tangerine. I also dealt with the headache […]

Last week I received an email advertising the benefits of binary options. Although I’ve taken finance courses in university, we never discussed binary options, so I did some further research. Binary options have really taken in recent years with new binary option websites appearing every day. Binary options are popular because of their simplicity of […]

Affording a home in Toronto, Canada’s second most expensive housing market, was tough. With home prices skyrocketing, many first-time homebuyers start out as condo buyers before eventually upsizing to a house. Despite being single, with a sizable down payment of $170,000, I had the luxury of choosing between a house and condo. Here are some […]

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan Success – many people strive for it, few people achieve it. Have you ever wondered what sets successful people apart from everyone else? You’re about to find out. What better way than to learn from […]

Do you have a defined benefit pension plan at work? Consider yourself fortunate. Only one-third of employees have any pension plan (that includes defined benefit, defined contribution and group RRPSs). Today I’m going to explain how a defined benefit plan works, so what better way than to look at my company’s pension plan? I work […]

On August 1, 2014, I celebrated my second year as a homeowner. In August 2012, I purchased my dream home, a beautifully-renovated three bedroom bungalow in eastern Toronto for $425,000. Through hard-work and goal-setting, I’ve managed to pay off over half my mortgage in two short years. Toronto and Vancouver are considered the two hottest […]

With home prices heading into the stratosphere, many first-time homebuyers are turning to the bank of Mom and Dad for help. Those are the findings in a survey of the residential mortgage market that was done for the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP). Although the average down payment made on a first home […]

Personal finance columnist Jonathan Chevreau picks up right where his first book left off. This e-book, entitled A Novel Approach to Financial Independence: How to reach your Findependence Day … while you’re still young enough to enjoy It, is best described as a Coles Notes version of his full-length novel, Findependence Day: How to Achieve […]

A U.S. shopping tradition is once again heading north of the border. Thanksgiving may have already come and gone in mid-October, but that doesn’t mean we can’t partake in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have taken Canada by storm – Boxing Day is no longer the busiest shopping day of […]

With Financial Literacy Month coming to a close, I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss why financial literacy matters. In high school we learn about algebra, chemistry, history and even physical education, but when it comes to personal finance we’re on our own. The fact that we even have to have a […]