Weekend Reading: Summer Holiday Edition
My wife and I enjoy spending our summer vacation in the beautiful B.C. interior. This year we’re venturing a little further than usual, travelling to Kelowna and staying 10 nights in the Okanagan. It’ll be great to see my parents for the first time since they moved to Kelowna from Calgary last summer. We were worried how our…
Read MoreWhen Free Isn’t Exactly Free: The Shocking Truth About Aeroplan Rewards
As the competition for travel rewards heats up one recurring problem for the Aeroplan rewards program is that its members are on the hook to pay for any fees, taxes, and fuel surcharges when they redeem their points for travel. Other travel rewards programs, such as RBC’s Avion, TD’s First Class, and CIBC’s Aventura, allow…
Read MoreA Smart Way To Define Your Financial Planning Goals
When people think of “financial planning” their thoughts turn to how to manage their cash flow, pay off debts, save for retirement, or how to build a diversified portfolio. However, while these areas can be components of a financial plan, the most important part is knowing what your goals are. Surprisingly, very few people have…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2015 Mid-Year Review
I like to take a snapshot of my financial situation every six months to review my progress and make sure I’m on track to reach my goals. I want to be a millionaire by the end of 2021 – the year I turn 41 – and become financial free by 2025. That’s the dream, anyway.…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Sourdough Edition
My wife loves to bake and earlier this year she decided to make her own sourdough starter to keep up with all the bread we eat. After a couple of weeks of trial and error – following a starter-along sourdough series online – she was able to harvest a usable starter for bread-making. It’s great to have a fresh…
Read MoreProtecting Your Nest Egg In Retirement
Investors who are in, or near, retirement are in a difficult position. They need their investments to provide them with steady cash flow to live on, but they also need their wealth to last for a potentially long life. Retirees who are caught in a bear market don’t have the time to wait out temporary…
Read MoreCan You “Sweep Up” With Online Sweepstakes?
I read an article about the “Contest Queen,” aka Carolyn Wilman, who has won over $250,000 in prizes from entering sweepstakes. She has been a regular winner since 2004, with prizes ranging from a bottle of pop to a trip for four to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics – just one of 16 trips she…
Read MoreGetting Personal: The Evolution Of Loyalty Programs
Scanning the weekly flyers and clipping coupons is a great Canadian tradition but – like the landline telephone, VCRs, and analog TV – coupons and flyers are on their way out. Retailers are moving their loyalty programs online and developing smart phone applications to get more personal with their offers. Rapid advances in technology, coupled with…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Losing The Signal Edition
When I started working as a hotel sales manager we used MiKE phones on the old Telus push-to-talk network. I didn’t own a smart-phone until 2007, when our hotel group decided to arm its sales staff and senior management with the new Blackberry Curve. Email on-the-go was a game changer for sales staff, who were no longer tied to their…
Read MoreHome Buyer’s Regret?
A discussion on Rob Carrick’s Facebook page today started with a question about debt – how big a priority is it for you to reduce debt? Top priority Important, but not my main financial goal I’m chugging away at debt repayment, and that’s fine No debt I answered (2): We put any extra money toward…
Read More