Student House (ING)
It’s that time of year again when students are returning to school. Some will be leaving their parents nest and living on their own for the first time. My oldest son attended university in our own city so he lived at home, saving us a housing expense. However, my younger son decided to attend university in another city and, after tears and hugs, set up residence in the student housing in the first year…
Read MoreHow I Redeem My Air Miles Rewards
One of my goals this year is to maximize my rewards points. For years I have been a loyal Air Miles collector. I have always shopped at Safeway, filled up the car at Shell, and for one time purchases I generally went out of my way to purchase at an Air Miles sponsored business…
Read MoreFinancial Eggs In One Basket?
Should you keep all your accounts, loans and investments at one financial institution, or spread them around? When I worked for a bank, when I had a new customer referral – for a mortgage, say – the goal was to transfer in all of their financial accounts. The reasoning behind this was that it would be more difficult to leave the bank once everything was set in place, and it’s true…
Read MoreDividend Growth Investing
I am hooked on dividend growth investing. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this strategy, dividend growth investing is pretty simple; when they are value priced, purchase shares in companies that have a long history of paying increasing dividends…
Read MoreInvestment Statements
I always check my investment statements for accuracy on a monthly basis and compare them to my transaction slips. I don’t really expect any fraudulent activity on my account but mistakes can be made, even by a large discount brokerage such as the one I use…
Read MoreInsider Tips: How To Save Money On Hotel Rooms
In my previous career, I worked in the hotel industry. Most hotel chains have an employee rate program starting at $39 – $69 per night to stay at their sister hotels. Since I’ve left the industry I have had a difficult time transitioning myself to paying the standard rate. It can be painful, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are my top 5 tips to save money on hotel rooms…
Read MoreAuto Insurance: 10 Tips To Save Money
When setting up our family budget, I thought we were spending a bit too much on auto insurance premiums. Here are my top 10 tips to save on auto insurance:
Read MoreMy Short Term Goals: Boomer
Any inspirational book or seminar will tell you that you need to write down clear, concise and measurable goals in order to successfully plan your future. Almost any life goal has a financial aspect to it. You could have a goal to have a million dollars in investments, but it’s more exciting to incorporate a vision of your life…
Read MoreMy Short Term Goals: Echo
From simple objectives of increasing your net worth, reducing your debt, or contributing to your RRSP / TFSA, to more specific goals of changing careers, building a house, or creating & sticking to a family budget, writing down your goals and regularly checking in on your progress is critical to your financial success…
Read MoreFound Money
I have an investment that is fully redeemable without penalty and pays an annual interest rate of 4.74%, much higher than the so-called investment savings accounts out there. It is my personal chequing account…
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