Archive for May 2015
Finding The Right Card To Reap The Rewards
Canadians have a myriad of options when it comes to choosing the right credit card for their spending needs. Rewards credit cards are increasingly popular as consumers look for ways to earn travel points or cash back on their everyday purchases. Readers often ask me which credit card is best. The answer is that it…
Read MoreSplurging On A Budget
When you prepared your budget did you account for only your basic necessities with all the remainder earmarked for saving? This kind of budget may be doable for a couple of months but probably not much longer. Living on a budget does not have to be the rigid “straight-jacket” you may assume it to be.…
Read MoreA Savings Account That Rewards Inertia
Canadians have few reasons to save these days. Cheap borrowing coupled with feeble returns on your savings deposits makes it hardly seem worthwhile to park your cash in a savings account. Some banks have decided to punish savers even further by charging fees just for moving your money around. Gaining Momentum Through Inertia But one…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Calgary Zoo Edition
I mentioned last month that my passport had expired several years ago and that I wanted to renew it with the expectation of more family travel in the near future. As it turns out, I have the opportunity to attend a conference in Seattle next week and so I needed to expedite my passport application so…
Read MoreExcess Spending Keeps This Couple From Getting Ahead: A Boomer & Echo Financial Makeover
Clark Sanderson (39) works a high-pressure job in sales for an international company. His wife, Jill (38) is a stay-at-home mom with two preschoolers, Sean (5) and Rachel (2). Although Clark earns an above-average annual salary of slightly over $120,000, and gets regular bonuses, they have virtually no savings and a high debt load due…
Read MoreThrowback Thursday: The Family Car – Then and Now
This latest installment of our Throwback Thursday: Then and Now series looks at the family car, which has gone through a number of transformations since the 1950’s. The 1950’s and 60’s Boomers who didn’t grow up with the station wagon surely knew at least one family who owned one. Previously regarded as commercial vehicles, sales…
Read MoreWhen Should You Sell A Stock? Here Are 5 Simple Rules
The stock market has hit some all-time highs recently, which makes some investors nervous. Is it time to sell? Knowing when to sell, especially in a bull market, is the hardest thing about trading. It’s not an “all or nothing” decision. Don’t change a strategy that’s working for you. Ask yourself if the stock still…
Read MoreFed Up: Latest Fee Grab Enrages Banking Customers
For years Canada’s big banks have walked all over their retail customers without fear of repercussion. They’ve raised account fees and hiked minimum balance thresholds at will, invented new charges for moving our money around, and generally nickel-and-dimed us to death just because they can. Related: 10 fees you can avoid Banks get away with…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Online Lending Edition
Last year, online investing platforms – often called robo-advisors – set up shop in Canada to try and revolutionize the way we invest. Now, online marketplace lending has arrived with hopes to change the way we bank and borrow money. Marketplace lending, which has been growing in popularity in the United States for nearly a…
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