Introduction Concrete financial milestones can serve as checkpoints on your path to financial stability. From paying off student loans to leaving a financial legacy for the next generation or a charity, each milestone represents a significant achievement along your financial journey. In this blog post, I...
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Emily Emily sat at her kitchen table, staring at the third credit card bill. It was maxed out, just like the other two. Overwhelmed and angry at herself, panic started to creep in. How did she end up in this situation? She used to pay off...
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After the cloudy days of preparing and filing your tax return, many Canadians look forward to the silver lining of a tax refund. Last year I wrote about The Problem with Tax Refunds, arguing that rather than a benefit, refunds represent an interest-free loan to...
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On February 13, 2023, Statistics Canada released a report that found one in four Canadians was unable to cover an unexpected expense of $500. The report went on to compare age groups, racialized groups, and regions. If you are 35 to 44 years old, Black...
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My dad’s birthday was September 2. He died a little over four years ago just short of age 89. Thanks to his thoughtful approach to financial matters and the careful executorship of my brother, Rob, we four siblings received our inheritances in a timely manner. What...
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You may have seen an article published on April 29 by CBC about “angry and frustrated” teachers who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having their tax refunds delayed. This is because the Eligible Educator School Supply Tax Credit that many teachers had claimed...
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At the end of 2020, the fathers of two friends and an uncle of mine died. For none of them was death unexpected. Two were over 100 and the other was 90. Even when death is expected, though, the loss of a loved one brings...
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Let’s suppose you are a married couple, Jessica and Michael. Both of you are thirty years old. Big purchases, on which you owe money, include a house, a car for each of you, student loans, furniture for the house, which you have put on your...
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What to do? It almost feels like there is nowhere to hide. Major stock indices in Canada (S&P/TSX), the US (S&P 500) and the developed world outside of North America (MSCI EAFE) are down 25 to 30 percent in the space of a month. Bonds, which...
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An Introduction to Insurance and Risk Management – Part 4 We don’t die like we used to Not that many years ago, Canadians routinely used to die from cancer, a heart attack or a stroke. Now, thanks to developments in medical treatment, there is an increasing likelihood...
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