Posts Tagged ‘Personal Finance’

I know, I know. Budgets just sound like Remedial Personal Finance, don’t they? Everyone knows you’re supposed to budget, so what’s the point of another 800 words or so on the topic, right? There’s even a vague feeling that once you reach a certain point – either of knowledge, or income, or net worth –…

“Money is a dangerous subject. Polite conversation avoids it. You may talk about economics, but not raw money.”  – Max Plowman (1883 – 1941) People are generally quite gregarious. We interact all the time and continually seek out the company and approval of others. We talk about a variety of topics that would have been taboo…

In their best selling book, Freakonomics, and its sequel Superfreakonomics, economist Steven Levitt and writer Stephen Dubner used unconventional analysis and creative storytelling to tackle problems like high crime rates, low test scores, and global warming. Related: My 20 favourite business books Their latest work – Think Like a Freak – takes us inside their…

The entire financial world wants you to believe that success with money is just math.  It’s not. Well, it is, but – for most average, everyday people, anyway – it’s only about math eventually.  First, it’s about behaviour. The idea that you can transition seamlessly from someone spending more than she makes to someone who…

Most people will talk about almost anything else before talking about their finances. The best way to teach your kids about money is to share your own financial management details, but who wants their 10-year old blabbing about their income and debts to everyone at school? And, unless you’re in a union-type job with a…

Recently I made a small change in my diet that had a big impact on my weight and overall health.  At breakfast every day I would eat a whole bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese.  The meal came to about 450 calories. A few months ago I cut that portion in half, eliminating 225 calories…

Most debates over whether to pay down the mortgage or contribute to an RRSP boil down to one thing.  If the interest rate on your mortgage is less than the expected return of the investments in your RRSP, then go with the RRSP.  When rates are higher, then paying down the mortgage makes more sense.…

The gap between wage growth and cost of living continues to be an issue as inflation reached 2.3 percent in May, led by higher gas and energy prices. The latest Stats Canada data revealed that wages grew 1.4 percent year-over-year.  That means there’s a decline in real wages when you adjust for inflation. How have…

We’ve all experienced a moment in our lives when we decided it was time to get serious about our finances.  Some call it an “a-ha” moment, or a financial awakening.  What triggers this feeling is different for everyone, but it’s common to hit rock bottom – deep in debt and down to your last dime…

We’ve finally taken the plunge and sold our house and will be moving to another province.  There are a lot of changes in store and details to think about, but luckily I’m a list maker and I have every eventuality covered. One issue I’ve been contemplating is whether to make a clean break with my…