Archive for July 2013
The Importance Of Having A Power Of Attorney
Nick was in a serious car accident that left him in a coma for some time. His wife Julia, already emotionally devastated by his condition, discovered she was not able to renegotiate their joint mortgage when it came due for renewal. Gerald’s mother, Nola, is an 87-year-old senior who still lived in their family home. …
Read MoreWhy I Don’t Have My Finances On Auto Pilot
After writing about money for three years you’d think I’d have my own finances on auto pilot by now, but I don’t. I still have a household budget and track my expenses every month, and I don’t pay myself first (gasp!). While I can appreciate the forced discipline of automatic saving plans, I’m not a…
Read MoreHow To Invest In Real Estate
Rental Real Estate Like purchasing your own residence, buying rental real estate for income works best when you take a long-term approach. It requires time commitment, experience and patience. Buying a property in a good, growing area with high demand for rental housing and making the initial improvements to make it a quality rental is…
Read MoreWhy I Took A Cash Settlement For The Hail Damage Claim On My Vehicle
The weather in southern Alberta has been brutal this summer. When a huge storm rolled through Lethbridge on the evening of July 6th, we watched in horror as golf ball sized hail stones pummelled our house and vehicle. We did a quick survey of the damage; a few pieces of siding blew off the house,…
Read MoreHow Technology Has Impacted Banking And Investing
Most people don’t think of banks as pioneers of new technology. After all, the business of managing money has been more or less the same for hundreds of years. In the consumer device segment of the technology market, new technology comes fast and furious as new device models eclipse their ancient counterparts after only a…
Read MoreHow I Decluttered And Simplified My Life
“Less is more.” In the last few months I’ve been on a major decluttering kick. It took a while to work up the motivation – I’ve been putting this off for years – but once I got started, the process became positively therapeutic and very liberating. The original view was towards eventually downsizing our home,…
Read MoreMoney Saving Tips From A Budget Savvy Traveler
Many of us dream about traveling to exotic places but give up because it’s just too expensive. Outside of all-inclusive vacations, travel deals don’t really exist. What you should be looking for is ways to minimize costs or ways to stretch your dollar. Your dream vacation can still be a reality, all you need is…
Read MoreIntroducing Sandi Martin (A Fee Only Financial Planner)
Ahem. Hi. (Is this thing on?) I’m Sandi. I’m thirty-four, married, with three kids, a house, and no pets. I drive a minivan. I like Dr. Who, Terry Pratchett, and butter. Lots of butter. I live in the very small town of Gravenhurst, Ontario, where I operate Spring Personal Finance, a fee only financial planning…
Read MoreA Course In Frugal Financial Management
Personal financial management is a challenge for many couples and there are really not many places to go for help. Financial advisors want to show you how to invest. Banks want to consolidate your debts and lend you even more money. Related: Can You Trust Advice From Your Bank? Fortunately, there are hundreds of books…
Read MoreHow I Plan To Be Financially Free By 40
I did some financial daydreaming after my net worth update last week. I took our current financial trajectory and projected out 10 years from now to see how that might look. I was surprised by what I found, and the exercise gave me the inspiration for a new objective – becoming financially free by 40.…
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