Hobbies Are Expensive

By all means, enjoy your hobbies. Have fun. Some people can even turn their hobbies into a lucrative business. But don’t waste your money on something that may seem like a good idea without further investigation.

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Singing The Home Renovation Blues

With house prices slumping in much of the country, upgrading and adding to the living space are an alternative to buying new. If a home renovation is something you plan to do, here are some tips to ensure a quality job:

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Start Where You Are

Every year, sometime in January, I calculate my Personal Net Worth. I gather together all my account and investment statements for the periods ending December 31 of the previous year. I have a spreadsheet set up that compares year-to-year.

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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…

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Financial 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…

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Investment 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…

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